


Protecting you Part 2B

by superredcorp



Series: Possible lives of Linda Lee [3]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:00:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 59
Words: 78,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23651974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superredcorp/pseuds/superredcorp
Summary: Continuation of Part 1Version B of the evolving events ^-^In which Linda starts to fall for someone else who isn't Lena :D
Relationships: Alex Danvers & Kara Danvers, Alex Danvers & Red Daughter | Linda Lee, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Series: Possible lives of Linda Lee [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696060
Comments: 86
Kudos: 78





	1. Author's Note

Welcome back! This is version B of my fanfic!  
Linda will find someone else to date here.

When I originally posted this fanfiction on instagram, some people didn't like the polyamory and requested a different partner for Linda. 

After some consideration, I've decided to do it this way. A poll on instagram, in which my followers could freely suggest someone who she could date, led to a very clear result as to whom that should be. 

It might already be very clearly obvious which one that will be. I can say as much: It's a woman too.  
Because you're not a Danvers sister, unless you're a little bit gay, right? ^-^

There's gonna be a few scenes/plotpoints similar to Version A, just a little altered to fit the seperate storyline. However, this one's probably going to be shorter than the other one. 

Anyway, enough said. I'll start posting here and on Version A tomorrow and I hope you'll like it!  
Thank you for reading beforehand!!


	2. Chapter 16B

A few days had passed by now and Linda had settled more deeply into the normal day to day life, or well as normal as life could be as a kryptonian trying to live a secret human life while simultaneously acting as a superhero.

People in National City seemed to start to trust and warm up to Red Daughter more - of course there were still the occasional comments but those were almost exclusively from people who had problems with aliens in general. They weren't directed at her personally anymore.  
She also began to get along much better in CatCo, finding her way into working there and actually enjoying it - being able to really experience a sense of normality.

Though she had to keep her focus on not letting her accent shine through too much when she was at CatCo. It would possibly connect her to Red Daughter very quickly which would expose both Kara and her at the same time.  
Another thing she had to get used to was wearing those glasses everyday. Sure she had worn them when she met to meet Lena for the first time. But actually making it a habit was a little difficult at first.

Another good aspect was that, as it turned out, Nia had actually been right about the assumption that they'd become great friends. It took only a few days for them to grow close.  
When one day, Nia greeted Linda excitedly with a hug and the exclaim of "Hey, sun puppy!", Kara was quite surprised to say the least and she rose her eyebrows in confusion but also amusement.  
"Sun puppy?", she asked.  
Linda beamed at her and nodded hastily. "That's my nickname!"  
Nia's cheeks turned a little red as she rubbed the back of her neck and smiled sheepishly. "I thought it fit her."  
"No, no, I like it. It's very cute.", Kara chuckled.  
Linda simply smiled proudly. 

However one thing which was weighing on her was this weird feeling she got everytime she saw Lena. Especially when she saw Lena and Kara kiss. But though it felt strange, almost hurt her physically, she still couldn't look away. As if a magnet was pulling her in, as if a greater force was forcing her to watch her - and watch them interact.  
And she didn't even know why.

Just like right now.  
She sat at her desk in CatCo, her eyes glued on Kara and Lena flirtingly talking to each other and kissing.  
"Hey, there.", she suddenly heard Nia's voice next to her.  
Linda curtly looked up, smiling at her friend before returning her attention to the couple who stood at the other end of the workplace.

Nia tilted her head. "Are you okay?"  
"I... I don't know.", Linda said honestly. "I... I feel weird."  
"Weird how?"  
"Around... around Lena. And when she kisses Kara... it's... I don't know."  
Nia frowned. "Do you mean... You think you might be in love with her? I mean I guess that makes sense considering you remembered Alex's name too..."  
Linda simply shrugged helplessly. She visibly flinched when she saw Lena laugh at something Kara said and lean forward to kiss her cheek.

"Oh.", Nia just made. "I can't even imagine what that must feel like."  
"It hurts. It hurts a lot.", Linda whispered.  
They both stayed quiet for a while, then the blonde spoke up again.  
"Mom wants to have dinner with all of us this evening. That means Lena will be there. I don't know how to sit at the same table and see her... without...", she didn't seem to find a fitting word, simply taking a deep breath and looking down.

Nia placed a hand on her shoulder, making her turn to her. "Hey, I'm here for you, okay? Let's say this... if you notice, it gets too... difficult or something, just text me with that new phone of yours which Kara has recently explained to you. I promise I'll find a way to make you feel better."  
The corners of Linda's lips twitched and she nodded. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A few hours later, they all sat at the table.  
The dinner itself was wonderful. There was a lot of talking and laughing as well as flirting and gentle touching of hands or shoulders between the new lovebirds.  
The only one who appeared a little distraught was Linda. She did laugh about the jokes which were made and listened attentively to the stories which were told. But every now and then, her smile faltered and she looked over at Kara and Lena with sad eyes, feeling like there was a knot in her throat. 

Linda could feel the overwhelming amount of feelings wash over her and she almost wanted to just jump up and leave the table. To just get away from the whole thing. But she remembered Nia's words.  
She bit her lip as she pulled out her phone, holding it in her lap. She was really glad Kara had recently taken the time to show her to work it.  
She was struggling with what to write, finally she came to a decision.  
'I think I need you', she wrote. Not even thirty seconds later, she got several incoming messages. Little pictures showed up one by one in the chat.  
Linda recognized some of them as something which Nia had described to her as "memes" before as well as a few photos of animal babies which were apparently supposed to cheer her up.  
Linda unconsciously chewed on her nail as she went through the pictures - actually feeling a smile appear on her face, feeling her chest unclench and the pain ebb away.  
Nia hadn't overestimated herself when she said she'd find a way to make her feel better. 'Thank you', she wrote curtly.  
She got an instant reply of 'Anytime', accompanied by a heart emoji.  
Linda looked at the message for a while before feeling confident enough to put the phone away again, able to rejoin the conversation at the table. And though she caught herself sometimes looking at Lena a little too long, she forced her mind to go back to Nia's messages - the messages which were so simple yet so successful in regaining her peace and happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it obvious who my followers on instagram chose to be Linda's love interest? Probably haha


	3. Chapter 17B

Linda hadn't let anyone see what had been happening inside of her while the dinner. She was just glad that she could count on Nia and that she had managed to actually help without physically being there.   
She had only met her about a week ago but the brunette was already able to calm her down as well as Kara. Which she hadn't really believed to be possible since the connection she had to Kara was special.

And now that she sat at her workplace in CatCo, she couldn't quite stop thinking about it.  
She was so deep in thought in fact that she didn't notice a certain someone approach until she felt herself being poked in the shoulder.   
"Hey there!", Nia beamed.  
Linda looked up and smiled. "Hi."  
"How are you? How did the dinner with the family go?", the brunette asked, as she leaned against the desk and looked at her with a slightly tilted head.  
"It was... okay. It was hard at first but you helped.", Linda brought out.

"I'm happy to hear that.", Nia said with a smile and curtly squeezed Linda's hand, making the blonde glance down at their touching hands. But as fast as the moment had come, it was gone again.  
They talked a little more and after a few minutes, Nia decided it was time to get back to her own workplace.   
However as soon as she had pushed away from the table and began her way, a loud explosion from outside, apparently quite close to CatCo, caused the whole building to rumble and shake.   
Several mugs and potted plants shattered on the floor, papers and documents descented to the floor.   
A few people stumbled and fell from the sudden quake, amongst them Nia. 

Linda had jumped up in a second and caught her before she could hit the ground - it wouldn't have been a long fall of course but the impact might have still hurt.  
"Thanks.", Nia breathed out, a little startled.  
Linda just shrugged as she helped her straighten herself again. 

Not a second later, Kara ran towards them, as fast as she could without using her superspeed and revealing herself.  
She grabbed Linda's arm.   
"I think we gotta go.", she just said and Linda nodded.   
The latter waved shortly at Nia before letting her twin drag her along. As soon as they found a spot where nobody could see them, they left their casual clothes behind and shot out of the building in their suits to find the cause of the explosion. 

They found it soon enough. The crowd of people beneath them, frantically running around while screaming was a pretty good indicator.  
A middle-aged woman stood in the middle of it all, flames burning around her arms as she shot balls of fire in all directions. In that aspect, she reminded Kara of Scorcher who she had fought quite a long time ago. But she wasn't really sure yet if this attacker now was an alien or a metahuman.

Kara and Linda both landed heavily, instantly taking defensive stances.   
The woman turned to them, smirking mischievously and shooting fire at them but the supersisters simply hid behind their capes until the flames had died down again.   
They flew forward to attack, were however thrown back by a whole wave flames.   
Several screams errupted from people who were hiding close by and felt the burning heat which filled the air.

They got back on their feet in an instant. As they hastily thought about the best way to defeat this villain, Kara's face suddenly fell.   
"Oh no.", she whispered.   
Linda followed her glance and she felt her own heart sink as her eyes fell on Lena who seemed to have just been on her daily way to CatCo. She had crouched down behind a stone wall.   
Kara's head jerked to Linda in desperation.   
"Go.", Linda just said.   
Kara sighed in relief and mouthed a "Thank you" before rushing away to make sure Lena was alright as well as to take her to a safe place.

Linda she stared at the woman in front of her.   
"Seems like I'll have to take you out alone.", she said, getting herself ready.  
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that, Red.", another voice suddenly yelled out, just before a string of blue energy wrapped around the woman's legs and pulled her back so that she fell face first onto the terrain.  
Nia stepped forward, in her Dreamer suit, until she came to a halt next to Linda. 

The blonde was obviously a little surprised to see her but soon enough a smile spread across her face.   
"Ready to kick some ass?", Nia asked with a smirk as she let her neck crack.  
"Of course.", Linda said. With a slight bow and a hand motion, she grinned: "Ladies first."  
Nia laughed, joined the fun by doing a little curtsy and then summoned her dream energy, walking towards the villain. Meanwhile Linda jumped up and flew towards her for an attack out of the air. 

Soon enough, the villain was thrown to the floor where she laid unconsciously.   
Linda and Nia looked at their work proudly.   
"That was pretty good. I think this calls for a fistbump.", Nia grinned, raising her fist.   
Linda giggled and put her fist against her's. 

Then she frowned, her eye twitched and she looked to the side.   
The woman had stood up again, apparently not as unconscious as they originally thought. Instead the short break seemed to have given her enough time to recharge. Her arms burned even brighter than before and she seemed angry.   
Linda's eyes widened as she saw her release yet another fire wave in their direction.   
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she automatically wrapped one arm Nia, pulling her down into a crouching position as she lifted the other arm to hold her cape in front of them. 

She barely registered how closely she pressed Nia to her as the flames blazed their way around the cape, just a few inches away from their bodies, creating an intense heat around them.   
She heard Nia's rapid heartbeat pumping in her ears.

And then suddenly the fire was gone. Both of them frowned and Linda cautiously looked over the rim of her cape and when she saw what was happening, she let it fall completely.   
The woman lay unconscious, for real this time, on the ground. Kara stood in her place, just about to lower her elbow which she had just jabbed into the villain's temple, knocking her out.  
She puffed a little before looking towards her sister.  
"What did I miss?", Kara asked. 

Both Linda and Nia chuckled and got back up on their feet.   
Kara walked closer.   
"Is... is Lena okay?", Linda asked quietly.   
"Yes, she is. She's a little shaken but overall she's fine.", Kara smiled. "Thank you, both of you, for stepping in. You did a great job! You're a pretty good team."  
"Yeah, seems like it.", Nia grinned and playfully nudged Linda's shoulder with her own. "Thanks for saving my ass back there, by the way."  
Linda just rubbed her neck shyly, mumbling something along the lines of "No problem. I'll protect you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The event here are different from Version A of the story but like we need a little bonding, you know ^-^


	4. Chapter 18B

"I promise you'll love the bar. We're going there quite often to just let off some steam and enjoy ourselves. It's become a regular meeting spot for the Superfriends.", Kara told Linda excitedly while they walked to said alien bar which had become more than just an alien bar over the last months. More and more humans found their way to it.

Kara held Lena's hand as they walked which caused this weird feeling to return to Linda's stomach.  
She tried her best to ignore it - the feeling as well as the fact that they were so close and giggly - and instead made it her main focus to listen to what Kara was telling her, making sure to nod here and there to show her she was attentive.  
She had to admit she was curious about this place they were going to.   
Kara had been gushing about it for the past quarter hour, telling some stories that happened there as well as telling her about the karaoke nights they often spent there - of course telling her they would have to take her to karaoke night soon enough too since that was an experience a Superfriend just had to have.

As they arrived, most of their group was already collected inside. Alex smiled brightly, hugging both of her sisters as a greeting before returning to Kelly's side.   
J'onn, James and Brainy gave a collective hello, making them all smile a little.  
Only Nia was missing but she arrived soon after as well when they had just dived into a heated conversation.

"Hey, what's up?", the brunette asked as she arrived at the table.  
Without even giving any kind of greeting, as she was too excited for that, Kara instantly had to tell her what they had just been speaking about.  
"There's an ice skating rink opening in National City or well close by at least and we're all gonna go! We even convinced James and Brainy to come along! I mean, J'onn's being a killjoy but-", Kara replied while brightly smiling and interrupting herself when J'onn gave her a look. She rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Okay, fine. He's busy so that's why he can't come. But you'll join us, right?"  
"Sure, I'd love to! I really like ice skating.", Nia said happily.   
"Nice!", Kara exclaimed.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A few days later, it was time to actually go through with the activity.  
They met in front of the building.   
Alex couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that Linda was once again wearing the leather jacket she had gifted to her. There wasn't any other possible choice for her anymore, it was the only jacket she wore since then. And Alex thought it was pretty adorable that it seemed to mean so much to her. She also felt kind of honored about it.

As they were finally all present, they went inside.  
After they had all put on their shoes, they were moving towards the rink und one by one they stepped onto it.  
Most of them slithered a little. Kara and Lena as well as Kelly and Alex were tightly holding onto each other, trying to hold their respective girlfriend upright. Though it wasn't necessarily clear who was supporting who.   
James mumbled a string of expletives as he wildly threw his arms around, trying to stay on his feet. His face clearly showed the regret of ever agreeing to do this in the first place.  
Brainy was meanwhile gliding over the ice with grace and elegance - though they all secretly thought the same thing; that surely had something to do with the gravity-defying legion ring on his finger.

Nia came on after, pretty safely sliding across the ice as well and having less difficulties in keeping her balance.  
All together they waited for Linda who was the last who had to step onto the ice but she stopped in front of the rink, tilting her head and not seeming to trust the whole thing very much. She appeared a little helpless.   
Nia looked over her shoulder, telling the others to go ahead and that she'd take her under her wing for this. 

She made her way over to the remaining blonde and stretched out her hands. "Come on, Lin, I'll help you."  
Linda swallowed, just looking at Nia for a while, apparently debating whether she could dare try it. Finally she ended up taking the brunette's hands and very carefully stepping onto the ice. She instantly slipped and her eyes widened but Nia kept her steady.   
They just stayed on the spot for a while until Linda seemed secure enough to start moving. 

And for a while it went well.  
While they were a little slower than the others, they were keeping up quite well.  
Kara and Lena seemed to have adjusted to the ice pretty fast because after a while, Kara felt secure enough to surprise Lena by wrapping her arms around her waist and whirl her around as she spun around on the ice. Lena laughed loudly and squealed at her to stop but Kara didn't even seem to think about it. Still trapped inside of her arms, Lena was showered by little kisses on the cheek which caused her to giggle uncontrollably.

Linda appeared distracted by the interaction and focused too much on it, not concentrating enough on taking the right steps. So suddenly she slipped and this time Nia wasn't able to steady her in time and with a shriek, they both fell, as the blonde was pulling Nia down with her.   
Linda landed on her back with a loud thud. Luckily enough, she was kryptonian and therefore didn't hurt herself. And it also didn't hurt her when Nia fell right on top of her, so abruptly that their noses almost touched. Linda unconsciously grabbed onto Nia's waist to prevent her from rolling down off her body and on the ice which might hurt the brunette.  
They stared at each other in shock, too startled to say anything or move and stand up.

Just a few seconds later, the others had arrived at the scene of events, worriedly asking if they were okay.   
"Yeah, everything's fine.", Nia said as she was the first to pull herself out of the shock and just chuckled. She wiggled a little before looking up at the others expectantly as she realised she wouldn't really be able to get up on her own. "A little help please?"

Kara and Lena were the first to react. "Yeah, sure.", they said simultaneously and moved forwards to either side of the two, each hooking their arms into one of Nia's arms and carefully lifting her back up until she stood again.   
Kara leaned down and gently grabbed onto her sister's arm so could pull her up as well and with a smile fixed Linda's glasses, making the latter blink a few times before the corners of her lips twitched up. 

"I guess it would be better if we stay at the railing.", Nia chuckled.  
Linda blushed a little and nodded.  
Nia held out her hand and after a short second of hesitation, she took it, letting the brunette guide her to the side of the rink where the railing could give a little more security.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was only supposed to be a filler chapter at first but now it actually has kind of relevance for the next ones lol.  
> And it's also going to be in Part A, though a little later and of course adjusted to fit that different storyline ^-^


	5. Chapter 19B

They stayed some time longer on the ice, fortunately managing to avoid any more accidents.  
Shortly after they left the building, the guys decided to get home rather soon. Meanwhile the remaining six women all walked together and as this group made their way back from the ice rink, they decided it was a good opportunity to get ice cream. It just fit the situation very well. 

At one point, Kara looked over at Lena's ice cream, only to notice that some of it was about to drip down onto her hand, so with a small "Oh, hey, careful.", she moved her finger along the side to catch it. She stared at the ice cream on her finger for a while, apparently considering whether she should simply lick it off or do something else. A mischievous smirk spread across her face and with one swift motion she had wiped it on Lena nose. 

The Luthor feigned an offended gasp, making Kara only giggle more than she already was.   
"Oh, I'll get you for this! Come here, come here!", Lena threatened with a laugh as she ran after Kara who took off with a loud shriek to get away.   
"Should we, like... help them? At least one of them?", Kelly asked with a raised eyebrow and an amused tone of voice.   
Alex watched as Lena caught up to Kara now - of course the blonde let herself be caught as she would have been able to escape without even breaking a sweat - and rubbed her nose against her's, causing the ice cream to get onto her's as well. 

"Nah.", Alex made. "Let those five years be five year olds. As long as they don't run on the street and get themselves hurt, I don't care."  
Kelly chuckled as she shook her head.   
Nia looked over as well and she found the whole interaction quite adorable and funny but her good mood shifted as she took a closer look at Linda.   
She was forcing up a smile but Nia could tell that she wasn't feeling too happy.   
The whole situation still weighed on her - understandably.   
Having feelings for your twin's girlfriend wasn't exactly something she imagined to be easy. Especially when they weren't technically her feelings herself - they had been passed on to her. They were originally Kara's. 

Kara and Lena finally came running back to walk close by them again. They had meanwhile wiped their noses clean and they could barely stiffle their laughter. They leaned against each other and their lips touched every now and then until they were startled by Alex who suddenly exclaimed: "Oh my god, get a room. Please for the sake of all of us."  
It was obvious that she was just kidding around by the bright smile on her face.

The two of them blushed a little and rolled their eyes.   
That gave Nia an idea all of the sudden though.   
"Maybe we can make that happen actually.", she exclaimed.   
Five pairs of eyes laid on her now and she had to clear her throat as the sudden attention made her a little nervous. 

"Why don't you two make yourself a nice day, and night, together on your own. So you can do whatever it is you two would like to do. Though I think we all know what that is.", Nia said, making Kara and Lena blush, Kelly chuckle and Alex almost choke on the last bit of her ice cream. Linda didn't really seem to understand what she had meant. "And Lin could spend the day with me. And sleep over after. I get to show her my appartement and hey, maybe we can watch a few movies or something, I don't know, we'll figure something out."

Kara and Lena looked at each other, obviously considering it. They smirked at the thought of all the possibilities. Kara leaned forward, looking over at her twin.   
"I mean, if you're okay with that, Lin..."  
Linda turned her head.   
She didn't really need time to think it over. She just nodded and said: "I like spending time with Nia."  
She wouldn't say it but she would also be happy to get away from it for awhile. As much as she loved and enjoyed the company of her new twin... Everytime she saw her and her girlfriend together, it just hurt.   
Getting a break from that if only just for a day was quite welcomed actually.

Kara beamed. "Okay, I mean sure. If that's the case...", she looked at Lena again, interwining their hands. "I'm guessing we're taking up on the offer."  
Lena chuckled and placed her head on Kara's shoulder as they continued walking.   
"Thank god. Maybe that sexual tension between you two will finally be solved then.", Alex commented.   
Kara rolled her eyes with a small laugh and playfully nudged her older sister's side.

Linda glanced meanwhile over at Nia who appeared quite satisfied with herself and contently finished her ice cream.   
Linda chewed on her lip, deep in thought. Something inside her told her that Nia hadn't actually done it so that Kara and Lena could have a nice time together. Something inside her told her that Nia actually did it for her. So that she could have a nice time. Somehow she just knew it. A small smile spread across her face and as the other two Danvers sisters were still playfully bickering behind them, she walked a little more closely to the brunette.

She hesitated to speak, not quite knowing what to say or how to say it. Finally, she just kept it short and simple.  
"Thank you.", she said quietly.   
Nia looked over at her, raising her eyebrows and she seemed to want to ask what for.  
But then it dawned on her that she must have seen through her. That she must have known why exactly she made that proposition before.  
The corner of her lip raised itself as she shrugged a little. "That's nothing."  
"It is something.", Linda argued. She bit her lip again before adding: "And it means a lot."  
Nia smiled at her and slung an arm around Linda's neck. "Anytime, my sun puppy. As long as I get you to smile again, I don't care what I gotta do."  
Linda blushed and chuckled slightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer


	6. Chapter 20B

The next day's morning went quite usual. Nothing very special.  
Kara woke Linda up by gently shaking her as the latter slept through the alarm as always - she was just too used to loud noises, such as gun shots fired by training soldiers, from her time in Kaznia to be woken up by something as simple as an alarm.   
The soft touch by her sister however never failed to wake her up.

They continued to eat some breakfast together, get dressed and make their way to CatCo.  
Nothing really interesting happened there either - they didn't even get a call from the DEO announcing some kind of crime. Apparently it was a quiet day which was a nice change of pace.  
There was just Nia telling Linda she was looking forward to spending time together later.

Something did happen on their way back home though. They both stopped and squinted their eyes with the exact same facial expression as they heard rough voices - something that sounded like a fight. Maybe a robbery or something similar?  
They looked around, trying to find the cause until Linda lightly nudged Kara's arms and pointed in an alleyway not too far away.

Two young guys, assumably a gay couple from the way they held onto each other's hands, were being harrassed by two other men. They pushed them around, called them names. A bruise was starting to form on one of the couple's faces - which left the question if that had been caused by the two harrassers as well.

Kara and Linda frowned before looking at each other and nodding.   
They shot away only to show up in the alley in their supersuits.  
They walked over to the four men and in one swift motion glid in front of the couple just as one of the harrassers raised his fist and went to punch one of them.   
Linda caught his fist with one hand as she squinted.

"What the hell? Out of the way.", the man growled, who was either stupid or hadn't seen the 'S' on her chest.  
"No.", Linda exclaimed simply.  
"You're not hurting them.", Kara added, raising her eyebrow at his friend who went to attack her but upon her facial expression, he seemed to reconsider. Instead he slowly backed away, his head deeply red.

The first man scoffed and tried pulling his fist out of Linda's grasp but she didn't budge. She clenched her jaw and began to squeeze.   
The man frowned until his face turned into a pained grimace and he let out a hiss as his hand started cracking.  
"Stop, stop!", he forced out between gritted teeth and when she didn't listen, his head jerked to Kara. "Tell her to stop!"  
Kara shrugged. "Oh, I don't think so. She's doing pretty well. We don't appreciate bigots, you know."

The man groaned as Linda squeezed a little more.  
"Leave them alone.", she said slowly.  
"Fine! Fine! Just let go!", he caved in.  
Linda looked over at Kara who nodded and then gave a firm nod herself before releasing his fist which he hastily grabbed with his other hand. He threw her and Kara a scowl.  
"Crazy aliens. Thinking they're so great and godly. You're just scum!", he growled before pushing his friend forward to leave.  
Kara turned around to make sure the young couple was okay.  
Linda however watched after the harrassers for a few seconds, swallowing.  
As they had left the alley, Linda turned around to the other two men too.

"Thank you.", one of the two said, seemingly a little intimidated.  
"That's nothing you have to thank us for.", Kara smiled. "Have a nice day.",  
With that, Kara gently pushed her shoulder against Linda's, so she knew that it was time to go and they shot up into the sky.  
A few feet away, they landed in their casual clothes, continueing their way back home. 

As they arrived there, Kara noticed that Linda appeared rather distraught. Similar to her first mission after which she had a minor breakdown when Kara finally confronted her about obviously not being okay.   
She pursed her lips a little and sighed.  
"You've been oddly quiet since we stopped those jerks. Are you okay?", she finally asked in a soft voice.

Linda frowned as she looked down. Then she raised her head in Kara's direction and shrugged lightly. "I don't... I don't understand why these men are so hateful. The way they treated those two. The way they talk about aliens. I know this country, this world, is full of those people. It's what I was meant to change. But..."  
She stopped, apparently not really knowing how to go on.

Kara watched her with an understanding look in her eyes. "But seeing it for yourself is still hurtful?"  
Linda nodded.  
"I get that. I really do. When... when the first really big wave of xenophobia against aliens came up, I was shocked. I... didn't really want to believe it. I wanted to trust that the good in the people would persevere. But some people are just bad. It's how the world is sadly. There's good and bad humans. Just like there are good and bad aliens. All we can do is protect the good ones and hope that maybe we'll find a way to change the bad ones for the better. Some of them aren't actually evil, they're just... misguided. Like... for example, how you've been manipulated, brainwashed even, by Lex. But you were strong and smart enough to find your way out of there. It's always possible that someone will redeem themselves. We have to believe in that."

Linda nodded.   
She didn't seem a hundred percent convinced yet but she seemed to be a little more content now.  
Kara smiled lightly as she plopped down on the couch and tapped the space next to her as an invitation. "Come here. You need a good ol' Kara-Cuddle. I'm great at cuddling."  
Linda chuckled and let herself fall down next to Kara, upon which the latter wrapped her into her arms and pulled her close. Linda definitely couldn't say she minded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer and closer ^-^


	7. Chapter 21B

Kara and Linda continued to sit like that, cuddled together on the couch for a while.   
Until Kara glanced at the clock and realised that it was soon time to go.   
As they got ready, Kara could tell that she herself but also her twin sister grew kinda nervous.  
Kara was nervous because she would actually get to have the entire appartement to herself and Lena, to spend time with her, have her over for the night - who knew what would happen during that time?   
But she also noticed that Linda seemed to be nervous. Sure, she was already close with Nia, trusted her. But it still appeared to be a little weird and uncomfortable for her to go into a different environment, though it was only for the night. She had gotten so used to the bed here over the last weeks, used to falling asleep and waking up next to her sister.

Kara suddenly had an idea though how she might be able to help her at least.  
"You know, why don't you take the red blanket with you?", Kara suggested.   
She knew how much that blanket meant to Linda - she cuddled into it every chance she got, it seemed to have transformed into some sort of a security blanket for her. And it would simultaneously serve as a piece and reminder of home.  
Linda's face seemed to light up instantly and she nodded, approving of the idea and already taking off into the direction of the couch where she craddled the blanket into her arms.   
She turned back to Kara, sighing in a satisfied way.  
"Ready.", she said, already seeming a lot of calmer.  
Kara chuckled a little and motioned for her to come along as she opened the front door.

Kara accompanied her sister to Nia's place since she would continue to make her way to L-Corp. There she would pick Lena up from work and together, they would go into a little café first, maybe take a little walk and enjoy being together before then going back to the appartement where they would possibly, or probably, enjoy themselves in a different kind of way.

When Nia opened the door, she smiled brightly, greeting them both with a quick hug before inviting Linda in. After curtly embracing her twin, the latter then stepped into the appartement.  
Kara did notice the little eyebrow raise of Nia at the blanket though and smiled.   
"The blanket's sort of a safety thing, you know. It calms her. She was a little nervous about sleeping somewhere else so I told her she could take it along.", Kara said quietly and shrugged.  
Nia nodded with a smile. "Alright. I'll see you guys tomorrow then. And hey, have fun with Lena."  
The brunette winked at her, making Kara blush a deep shade of red. Rao, how excited she was to spend the next time with her girlfriend. 

She threw her twin a last goodbye which Linda responded to with a little wave. Then she had gone and Nia had closed the door.  
"You can put the blanket on the couch for the time being if you want.", Nia offered which Linda complied to. "So, well, this is my place. I'm sharing it with my roommate Yvette. She's not here at the moment and she's probably not going to be back until late at night either so we've still got the place to ourselves."  
Linda nodded as she looked around. A soft smile on her lips. "It's nice. Comfortable. I like it."  
Nia grinned. "Thanks!"

They continued to talk a little as they sat on the couch.   
At some point they somehow ended up talking about what Kara and Linda had experienced earlier.  
"Kara tried explaining to me why they act the way they do and say the things they say but I still don't understand. Why would people want to hurt others? All this... racism, hate, killing others..."  
Nia had her chin rested on her hand, listening attentively to what Linda said and nodded understandingly.

"I get what you mean. Humans can be... strange. They fear what they don't know and what they can't control. When someone's different, they see it as a threat.", Nia said quietly. "I've met enough people who despised me for simply being me so I kind of understand what you're feeling, Lin."  
Linda tilted her head. "Because you're half alien?"  
"Um, yeah. But also... Because I'm trans.", Nia responded. She waited for Linda's reaction. As she stayed silent for a while, she felt like her assumption that she didn't know what being transgender meant had turned out to be correct. So she prepared herself for the explanation: "That means I'm-"

"I know.", Linda interrupted her with a soft voice. Upon Nia's surprised facial expression, she shrugged lightly and to clarify it, she added onto her statement: "Books from Lex Luthor. I learned some things."  
"Oh.", Nia made. She didn't really know what to think now. She hadn't exactly expected that.  
Linda frowned as she seemed to think about what the brunette had said before. "Why would people not like you because of it?"  
Nia bit her lip. "Because some people just don't understand. It threatens their idea of what's normal and what's right. They hide behind religion or biology, thinking it will justify their hatred. They think they're in the right."

Linda stayed quiet for a few seconds, then she crossed her arms and almost seemed to pout a little.   
"That's dumb. You're kind, compassionate. You make people laugh and you protect them. You're a good person. And you're very pretty.", Linda listed with furrowed eyebrows. "I can't see what's not to like."  
Nia had blushed by now and rubbed the back of her neck.   
"Oh, uhm... Thank you, Lin, that's... that's very sweet.", she smiled, feeling her cheeks only heat up more.

Linda only gave a firm nod, apparently satisfied with what she achieved - making the brunette smile.  
There was some silence between them until Nia finally broke it: "Sooo... how about a movie?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy it! ^-^


	8. Chapter 22B

Nia walked over to the couch, where Linda was already seated and, how else could it be, wrapped into the red fuzzy blanket.  
She sat down, careful not to spill the popcorn, which filled the bowl she was carrying to the rim, everywhere. She held it out to Linda, letting her taste it first. Nia had been shocked when she had realised that Linda never ate popcorn before and therefore took it upon herself to change that. Luckily enough, she still had some microwave popcorn in one of the counters in the kitchen.

After chuckling in amusement about the amazed facial expression of Linda as she tasted the popcorn, she exclaimed: "I know. Good, right?"  
Linda simply nodded and Nia laughed again.   
Finally she turned on the TV. She had chosen just any random romantic comedy - a very stereotypical genre to choose for a girl's movie night but who cared.

She also handed Linda a package of oreos with a smirk on her face, which only widened when the blonde's eyes lit up in excitement.  
Then they turned their attention to the TV. And everything was great.   
They both enjoyed the movie as well as the snacks, placed between them.   
However, then they got to the part where the main couple eventually kisses.  
Linda tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips a little. She wondered the same thing she wondered every time she saw Kara and Lena kiss. Though in those cases she was more overwhelmed by the hurt she felt in her chest area. But the wonder was always were.

"What does that feel like?", she asked quietly.  
"What do you mean?", Nia asked back, eyes still glued on the TV.  
"That.", Linda said softly, pointing at the screen. "Kissing."  
Nia's head turned to her. She hadn't really considered that the blonde had never kissed anyone before. Which, in hindsight, was obvious. She had only "come to life" - created, split spart from Kara, whatever you were supposed to call it - a few months ago and had been hidden away in a cell until finally coming to National City and changing to the good side. There hadn't exactly been time to find a love interest.  
Leaving out Lena since Nia just decided that that didn't actually count.

"Ehmm. Huh, well-", Nia found herself stuttering and furrowing her eyebrows in concentration. "It's hard to explain... I don't really think there's a right way to explain it actually. I guess that's just something you have to... have to experience for yourself, you know."  
She felt her heartbeat quickening at the way Linda's blue eyes pierced into her's.   
"Can you show me?", the blonde questioned, her voice was calm and collected. She seemed genuinely curious. And unable to realise what exactly she was asking of her friend.

Nia blinked a few times and chuckled before stopping abruptly when Linda didn't move a muscle and just kept looking at her with those big, innocent puppy eyes.  
"Oh god, you're serious, um-", she swallowed and scratched her head. "You know that's... that's something people who... like each other do, I-"  
"I like you.", Linda responded instantly. Like it was no big deal. And to her it wasn't. "You're my friend."  
Oh boy. Nia took a deep breath. "No, I mean 'like' as in-", she interrupted herself again upon seeing the way that Linda still watched her. Those damn blue eyes. Were Kara's the same kind of beautiful? She had never noticed it before.  
And she didn't know why those next words left her mouth when she didn't even want them to. She didn't actually mean for them to come out, they just appeared to do that all on their own. "Okay. I'll show you."

She placed the bowl of popcorn on the table and scooted around on the couch until she sat sideways with crossed legs. Linda had turned to sit opposite her. Her eyes followed her every movement.  
Nia cleared her throat and with a wildly beating heart, she moved her hands to Linda's cheeks. The blonde's eyes glanced down at them for a quick second, then they returned to Nia's face.  
The brunette took one last deep breath before closing the distance between them.   
Linda seemed very stiff and helpless for the first few seconds. Almost like she had second thoughts about this whole thing, like she had realised that this wasn't something she was ready to do yet.

But then the tension suddenly fell off of her body, completely out of the blue. Her own hands rushed up to cup Nia's face and her lips started moving as if they were already trained to be doing this. Like they had done it a hundred times before.  
And Nia couldn't say that she minded this. It wasn't as awkward or weird as she imagined. In fact, she felt amazing. She felt her own body relaxing as she unconsciously pulled Linda just a tiny bit closer, not even thinking about pulling away yet.

"Oh dear. Sorry. Don't mind me."  
The two startled apart at the sudden sound of a voice. Their heads jerked to Yvette, standing in the doorway of the front door with raised arms.  
Nia's heart beat rapidly, her breathing had grown very heavy.  
"Yvette.", she stated the obvious, swallowing hard. "I- I didn't know you would be back so soon."  
"Yeah, obviously.", she replied with an amused tone, walking across the room to her bedroom where she disappeared and let her voice rise a little so the two could still hear her. "I just came to get something. I am however going now again so you can get back to what you were doing."  
"It's not what it looks like.", Nia said quickly, mentally scolding herself for using the most cliché answer one could possibly give.  
"Uh-huh.", Yvette just made, making her way across the living room back to the appartement door. She grinned shortly at them, gave a little wave and disappeared out of the door again.

When she had left, Nia released a breath while closing her eyes. Well, great.   
After a few seconds, Linda broke the silence as she got back into her former sitting position, cuddling into her red blanket once more. Almost as if nothing had happened. "I liked that."  
Nia glanced at her and just brought out a nervous chuckle. Her heart was still beating like crazy. She returned to the way she had been sitting before as well so they could finish watching the movie.  
But the brunette caught herself stealing side looks at Linda every few minutes, if not seconds, feeling incredibly overwhelmed with the amount of emotions which seemed to currently run wild inside of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, well... how the turntables haha


	9. Chapter 23B

Nia had been thinking about doing this for a while now.   
Ever since that unexpected change of events two days ago when Linda had randomly - well not completely randomly but it might as well have been - asked her if she could show her what kissing felt like.  
Because in itself that hadn't been the problem.   
She had been the one to agree to it after all. And it hadn't been bad. It had been great actually, she had felt great doing it.  
The problem was now she couldn't seem to stop thinking about it. 

She even caught herself dreaming about it and she couldn't really tell apart whether that was just a normal stress-induced dream, every other person would have too, or if it was related to her dream powers which were trying to tell her something.   
She also noticed how she unconsciously changed her behavior towards Linda, though it wasn't directly the blonde's fault.   
The brunette was still as kind as ever of course. But she was shying away from touching her too often - normally she would show her affection to friends by hugging them or placing her hand on their arm or shoulder. She also didn't hold too much eye contact anymore - finding that she had difficulties catching a breath whenever she looked into those blue eyes. 

And one thing that confused her even deeper was the fact that when she did end up looking over at Linda, she often saw her staring at her a little too intensely or watching her a little too long. Though the kryptonian always turned her head back around when she noticed she had been caught.   
But Nia wasn't too sure if that was actually happening or if her mind was playing tricks on her.  
Fact was, she was absolutely overwhelmed by these weird emotions and she didn't like it one bit.  
That's why she saw just one way to possibly solve this. Talking to someone who kind of got where she was coming from.

Nia fidgeted with her fingers as she approached the woman. She had simultaneously hoped to find her fast and hoped to not find her at all, so she could have a reason to avoid this conversation after all.  
But now that she was here at the DEO, there wasn't really any turning back. It would be silly not to go through with it now. 

"Um. Hey."  
"Hi.", she replied, looking up. She frowned when she saw Nia's facial expression. "Everything okay?"  
"Yeah... Actually no. I- Can I talk to you about something, Alex?", Nia asked, biting her lip.   
Alex raised her eyebrows. They got along fine but they weren't exactly too close so she was surprised that she'd come to her. Alex being Alex wouldn't turn her away though, of course. "Sure. What is it?"

The younger woman looked around as if to make sure no one else was listening in. Then she stepped a little closer and crossed her arms. Her eyes were kept on the floor. "I, uhm- Lin and I... kissed recently."  
Alex thought she misheard her at first and had to ask: "Excuse me?"  
"When she was at my place. We were watching a movie and the main couple kissed and she asked me what kissing felt like. If I could show her. I- I didn't even realise that I said yes until I was kissing her and-", her speed of talking seemed to increase with every word. "And the weird thing is, I- It actually felt... good. Like really good. I liked it! I liked it! And now I'm just so confused because I never even considered the fact that I might like girls and-"

Alex placed her hands on Nia's shoulders, which shut the younger woman up abruptly as she looked up at her. Alex smiled softly. "I know the feeling. I've been there. Which is probably why you came to me, right?"  
Nia nodded. "I know you've had problems figuring it out too at first. I mean, sure, Kara only came out a few weeks ago but... she wasn't confused about her feelings. She just knew she loved Lena for a long time and she accepted it instantly. I- I don't know what to do now though."  
"I get it. It's very overwhelming. And I'm pretty sure if I personally hadn't met my ex, Maggie, back then, I still wouldn't have figured it out. She was the one who made me realise that this part of me exists and... and that it's okay, you know. It was pure luck that she ended up liking me back and that we got together but... maybe... maybe at least in that sense of coming to terms with it, Linda's your Maggie."

Nia sighed deeply, looking down again. "You'd think after spending so much time developing and forming my identity, ging through that whole coming out process once... I'd know something as simple as my sexuality."  
"Maybe. But it's okay if you don't. It is a very confusing thing sometimes. No one's expecting you to figure it out over night. At least not the people who care about you.", Alex reassured her, stroking her shoulder.  
The corners of Nia's lips curled upwards. "Thank you."  
"Anytime.", Alex smiled, pulling her into a gentle hug. "You know it is nice to know though that I've finally graduated from "baby gay" and have become the kind of gay, others can ask for advice. So thank you for that."  
Nia laughed. "You're welcome."  
Alex chuckled as they pulled away.

"So, do I have to give you the "If you break my little sister's heart, I'll have to break you"-talk, or...?", she trailed off. A big grin was plastered on her face.  
Nia chuckled, shaking her head. "I don't think so. I mean, Lin doesn't even like me that way. She was just curious to know what kissing felt like. Understandably. It was just... bad luck that I've now started having... these feelings."  
Alex nodded slowly, squinting her eyes a little as she watched her. "But you like _her_ though, huh?"  
"What?", Nia shrieked.  
"It's okay, no worries. It's our secret.", Alex smirked and winked at her before she just started walking away.  
"Alex!", Nia exclaimed with a high pitched voice.  
But the older woman just waved her hand without even turning back around.   
Nia shook her head and buried her face in her hands. Oh dear, what had she gotten herself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what I was thinking with that baby gay line, I thought it was funny haha


	10. Chapter 24B

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'll have Kara's earth birthday in here because I needed some sort of party. Probably doesn't fit the canon timeline quite well but I guess since we don't know when it is, it's free to interpretation? Haha, anyway, hope you'll enjoy the chapter!

It was Kara's earth birthday.  
And as it was the first earth birthday with a twin sister as well as Lena knowing she was Supergirl and being her girlfriend at the same time, she decided to go all out and celebrate all together. So she invited all the Superfriends over to her appartement as well to have a big dinner which they normally only held on holidays like Thanksgiving. 

Linda had apparently grasped the concept of birthdays and in this case earth birthday quite quickly and seemed to have been pretty excited for what was going to happen. Even more so, when Kara told her that they would be celebrating her's as well when the time came. 

Linda also appeared to be quite fascinated by having so many people over in the little appartement at once - and they weren't even in complete numbers yet. There were still a few friends missing, like Kelly and James who would be coming over together.   
She was meanwhile seated on the couch while most of the guests were collected in the kitchen. She watched them all quite curiously and interested.   
J'onn was talking with Brainy at the counter while Kara, Alex and Lena were working on getting the table and the food ready.

She was a little confused about the fact that Alex seemed to glance over at her every once in awhile, squinting a little and smirking afterwards as she returned to her work.  
Meanwhile Kara and Lena shared gentle touches, kisses and smiles whenever they passed each other. But while it still hurt to see them, Linda didn't feel as fixated on them like she usually did.

Because most of the time, she caught herself, or more so her eyes, always trailing back to Nia who stood at the other end of the room. She didn't consciously do it but the young woman seemed to be pulling her in.  
The whole last few days she had been noticing that her interest in Nia was peaking. Differently than it had before. She had been enjoying being friends with her ever since the day she met her but it appeared like things had... changed.  
She watched her more often, at CatCo or on missions. She wasn't sure what it was that had changed. She just knew that she felt embarrassed whenever Nia caught her staring and felt the need to look away when she did. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kara was meanwhile setting the table.  
At one point though, she felt herself being gently pulled away from the table and her mouth formed an 'o'-shape out of surprise.  
"Uh, what-?", she began.  
"You're not working. This is your party. We're here to celebrate you so that's why you are going to go, enjoy a drink and sit down.", Nia interrupted her as she pushed a bottle into the blonde's hand.  
Kara smiled. "That's very nice, Nia, but it's fine, I'll-"

"I don't care that you have superpowers or anything like that. You are gonna take a break now.", she stayed stubborn as she placed an arm around her friend and mentor, leading her to the couch and gently pressing her down next to Linda. "I've got it covered, I promise."  
Kara blinked a few times and chuckled in amusement as she raised her arms in defeat. "Alright then."

Nia's eyes glanced over at Linda who eyed her curiously. The brunette blushed a little and released a breath.   
"Um, yeah. Okay then.", Nia said, eyes lingering on Linda a little while longer before returning her attention to the other blonde. "Remember, don't move a muscle. Your arrival on earth or whatever you wanna call it is getting celebrated, so we're doing the work for you. You can just sit here and... chill."  
As she turned and walked away, she mentally facepalmed herself. 'Chill' - seriously?  
She shook her head lightly before joining Alex and Lena.

By now, Kara was narrowing her eyes a little. That had been... awkward. Nia usually wasn't like that towards Linda. However she did notice that lately they had been acting really weird around each other.  
She glanced over at her twin sister and was again confused.   
Linda not just looked but basically gazed at the brunette as she walked through the kitchen.   
But the way she did this was strange. Her eyes seemed to shimmer a little.   
And it wasn't the first time she took notice of something like that happening.

"You know I've seen you look at Nia like that quite a lot recently. I also noticed that you two aren't talking too much anymore. Is there something going on? Did something happen?", Kara spoke up now, a little worried. She would feel so sad for Linda if she was having a fight or something like that with her first and closest friend.

Linda shrugged lightly, not taking her eyes off Nia. "She showed me what a kiss feels like.", she said nonchalantly.  
Kara's eyes widened and she almost choked on her drink, which she had just taken a sip from.   
"Wait, what? You kissed? And you didn't tell me until now? How did that even happen?", she whisper-yelled so that hopefully no one else would take notice of the conversation.

"I asked her to show me when we watched that movie a few days ago. It was nice. Very nice. I would like to do it again.", Linda exclaimed - still talking in a way as if she was discussing the weather.  
Kara watched her, interpreting the look on her face - the slight shimmer in her eyes, the little indication of a smile on her lips as she followed Nia's every movement.  
"Lin... do you like Nia?", Kara asked both in surprise and caution.  
Linda finally looked at her and tilted her head. "Of course. I like everyone here."  
Kara shook her head. "No, I mean, like... Like her romantically."

Linda frowned. "Like the way you like Lena? Or Alex likes Kelly?"  
Kara nodded. "Yeah, exactly. Do you want to have that kind of relationship with Nia?"  
Linda stayed quiet for a while. Then she bit her lip.  
"I don't know.", she seemed genuinely confused. "But, um... I think I like her differently than the others. She is very kind to me and others too. She makes me laugh. She's brave and... and..."  
Kara gave her a little nod to tell her it was okay to continue. She unconsciously scooted a little closer, growing more and more interested.  
Linda turned slightly around again, her eyes glued back on Nia. She sighed and a shy, dreamy smile spread across her lips. "She is beautiful."


	11. Chapter 25B

"Is something bothering you, darling? It kind of seems like your mind's somewhere else.", Lena asked from her place on the couch - laying across it, legs crossed. An open book on her stomach and her head resting in Kara's lap as the latter absent-mindly stroked her hair.  
Kara blinked once and looked down. "No, it's nothing. Well, nothing that concerns me, at least. It's- um-"  
She didn't really know if she should tell her. After all this wasn't exactly her secret to spread, though she wasn't really sure if it could count as such since Linda had never explicitly said that she didn't want anyone else to know.  
And she also really just wanted to get it off her chest since it was occupying her mind completely ever since earth birthday. 

Kara pursed her lips and sighed, finally making a decision. "It's Lin."  
Lena tilted her head and raised her arm to softly slide her finger alongside Kara's cheek. "What is it? Is something wrong?"  
"Nothing's wrong per say. Um, how do I best say this... Well, she had her first kiss recently."  
Lena blinked a few times, having obviously not expected this. "Oh, uh, wow. With whom?"  
Kara chuckled. "Nia."  
"Wait, what?", Lena asked, closing the book, which had been laying on her stomach, now and putting it away before sitting up and turning to face her. She seemed completely confused but also intrigued.

"I was a little overwhelmed by that information too.", Kara admitted with a chuckle. "Apparently, she wanted to know what a kiss felt like and asked Nia... to show her. That night where we spent time together, you know."  
Lena seemed to think for a second. "Well, that's understandable. I mean, though she can be a little childlike sometimes, just like you by the way-", she booped Kara's nose, making the blonde giggle curtly. "-she is a grown adult after all who doesn't have any sort of experience with... literally anything, to be honest. Except fighting, that is."  
"Yeah, I thought that too and I mean it's no big deal. It's just a kiss. That's not what is running through my mind all day. The real deal is... I think-", Kara ran a hand through her hair as she sighed. "I think Lin might actually like Nia. Like seriously. You should've seen the way she looked at her at the earth birthday party. And how she talked about her. I'm pretty sure, that's an actual crush. And she probably doesn't even know it is a crush."

"Oh.", Lena just made as she rested her elbow on the backrest of the couch and put her chin onto her hand. "Well, do you think Nia might like her back?"  
"I have no idea. It would be nice. I'd be so happy for them.", Kara said, biting her lip. "But I feel like I should try to find out. And fast. They're distancing themselves from each other, probably because they both don't know what to do in this situation and it's just... Lin can't lose Nia. She depends on her, she was her first real, friendly contact apart from us, you know?"

Lena nodded. "You're right. You should definitely find that out. And I'm sure you're going to excel at it. You can be so sneaky after all."  
Kara straightened herself as a proud smile spread across her face. "I know right? Finally someone who acknowledges it! Alex and Winn always said that- Hey, what are you laughing about?"  
Lena shook her head as she chuckled. "Oh, sweetheart, you should by now what sarcasm is."  
Kara looked at her for a second then pouted, making Lena laugh even more. She leaned forward to kiss her.  
"Oh, you poor thing. Don't worry, I still love you."  
Kara couldn't pretend to be offended much longer, she caved just a few seconds in as her hands moved up to Lena's cheeks.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next morning at CatCo, Kara decided it was finally time for her to start playing matchmaker.  
She casually started a conversation with Nia until dropping the relevant question.

"Hey, by the way... Everything okay between you and Lin?", Kara asked innocently, trying her hardest not to come across too suspicious.  
Nia's head jerked in her direction. "What? Why?"  
"I don't know, I just noticed you're spending less time together. Don't really talk much anymore. I'd just hate it if you guys were fighting or something. I know how much your friendship means to Lin since you were her first real friend, you know?"

"Uh, right. Yeah, our... our friendship. First friend. Uh-huh. No, I- I get that but it's- there's nothing-", Nia found herself stuttering until she abruptly shut herself up as she saw just the person they were talking about leave James' office. Kara turned around upon Nia's intensive staring and saw Linda too who was currently scanning the room.  
Her eyes lit up as she locked eyes with her sister and she walked over with a small stack of papers which she handed over to her.  
"James asked me to give you this."  
"Alright, thank you, Lin.", Kara said in response.  
Linda just nodded before her eyes shifted over to the brunette. A small smile spread across her lips. "Hi, Nia."  
Nia seemed to finally pull herself out of the trance she had been in and forced up a smile as well. "Oh, uh, hey. Hey, Lin."  
There were a few moments of awkward silence, in which Kara's eyes moved back and forth between the two, squinting a little.

Finally Linda spoke up again as she pointed over her shoulder. "I should get back. "  
Kara smiled. "See you later."  
"Bye. Bye, Nia.", she replied. And with a sheepish smile at said brunette, she turned around and left to get back to her own desk.

As soon as she was gone, Kara whistled quietly. "Wow, I always thought the sexual tension between Lena and I was intense but it's even worse between you two.", she whispered.  
Nia, who wasn't sure if she heard correctly since she had been busy watching after Linda, couldn't even bear looking up at Kara as she blushed a deep red. "Excuse me?"  
Kara squinted her eyes. She had hoped for a reaction similar to this. Embarrassment often meant that feelings were there. Right?  
She had to know, she had gotten flustered around Lena all the damn time, causing her to say some pretty stupid things sometimes. 

"Nia.", she grinned now as she crossed her arms and walked a bit closer. "Do you maybe have a little crush on my sister?"  
The brunette's head jerked in her direction. She felt like her heart just skipped a beat. She gulped, trying to remove the knot which seemed to get tied into throat. She opened and closed her mouth a few times but nothing senseful seemed to come out, only a string of 'um's and 'uhh's.  
She was startled by the question to say the least. Of anything that could have come, she didn't expect this. Was it really that obvious?  
She nervously bit her lip.

And though, she neither confirmed nor denied it, Kara just nodded with a big smile on her lips. Apparently her reaction to the question had been more than enough of an answer for her personally. She looked back up and said with a slight shrug: "You know... she likes you."

"What?", Nia asked with wide eyes after a few seconds of stunned silence. She felt her heart pounding quickly against her chest and her breathing pick up.  
Her voice also seemed to rise a few octaves as she spoke.  
Kara just grinned again and turned around before starting to walk away.  
Nia could only stare. She blinked rapidly then shook her head.  
"Wait, you can't just say something like that and then walk away!", she whisper-shouted after her. "Kara! Kara, get back here!"

But the blonde didn't turn back around. Nia could only watch after her with wide eyes. She slowly shook her head. What was it with those Danvers sister and just walking away without another word when things got more interesting or intense? Kara and Alex might have been adopted but they were undeniably sisters. They had the same kind of flair for the dramatic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it!!


	12. Chapter 26B

Nia took a deep breath, one thought only running through her mind on repeat 'What the hell am I doing?'  
She knocked on the door. A few seconds later, it was opened and she came face to face with Kara who instantly grinned knowingly when she saw her.  
"Hey.", she greeted happily, holding out her arm as a sign she could come in.  
"Hi.", Nia said sheepishly as she took a few steps forward.  
Kara turned back to the couch. "Hey, Lee. Would you like to go to the movies?"

Lena looked up from her book, apparently confused about the sudden offer. She leaned forward so she could take a look at the visitor. At the sight of Nia who awkwardly waved a little, her eyes lit up in understanding - of course Kara told her, Nia thought to herself.  
"Sure, let's go.", Lena smiled and closed her book, standing up from the couch.

While Lena went to get ready, not without winking at Nia who instantly blushed, Kara walked back to the armchair in which Linda was sitting.   
She wore earphones and looked at the phone in her hands - quietly giggling every now and then.  
Kara kissed her on the her hairline, making her raise her head. She curtly explained that they would go and that she had a visitor.

Linda looked over at the door, her face lighting up when she saw Nia, and stood up, putting the phone to the side.   
Just in that moment, Lena had gotten ready. Kara rushed away to put on shoes and a jacket as well and with another bright grin, she said goodbye and linked her arm into Lena's before they went out of the door. 

Nia walked closer, still a little awkward, rubbing her sweaty hands on her jeans.  
Linda came to close the distance and held out her fist in expectation.   
Nia couldn't help but chuckle. She really did start something there. She put her own fist against her's as they made their usual silly imitations of an explosion.  
There was a second of awkward silence.   
"What were you watching?", Nia asked, wanting to say something, anything, and motioned at the phone which was now laying on the armchair.  
Linda shortly turned her head to the phone, then a smile stood on her face. "A kitten video. It's so funny what they make those cats do.", she giggled. "Do you want to see it?"

"Oh, uh, sure.", Nia said, biting her lip. She was procrastinating. She felt herself procrastinating the reason she was here in the first place.   
Yet she still let herself be pulled to the couch by Linda who had grabbed her phone and started the video.   
Though the video was pretty cute indeed, Nia caught herself mostly looking at Linda's smiling face which was so incredibly close to her's.

Linda suddenly frowned when she heard Nia's heartrate increase.  
"Are you okay?", Linda asked. "Is something wrong?"  
"Oh! Oh, it's... nothing wrong per say, just...", Nia panicked and swallowed. She stood up, nervously playing with her fingers as she paced back and forth between the few feet of wall and couch.

Linda frowned and got up as well, walking closer. Worry stood in her eyes. "What is it?"  
Nia took a deep breath with closed eyes, trying to calm herself as much as possible.  
"I like you.", Nia blurted out and upon Linda's facial expression, she quickly added: "And I mean as... as more than a friend. If you understand what I mean."  
"Like the way... Kara likes Lena? Or Alex likes Kelly?", the blonde repeated the question which she had already asked Kara on earth birthday.  
Nia bit her lip and nodded. She swallowed.  
She couldn't read Linda's facial expression. The blonde had the perfect poker face - Lady Gaga would be jealous.

"Look. I know this is new to you. I... I have never liked a girl before either so... this is basically new to me too. But we could figure it out. Together..."  
For a split second, Linda's lips curled upwards, then she gulped and one of her hands moved up to her neck, rubbing it while looking to the side - avoiding eye contact.  
Nia's heart seemed to skip a beat. "Or not.", she said, trying hard not to let the pain rise to her voice. "It's okay if-"  
"I don want to hurt you.", Linda said quietly, shifting from her left foot to her right. "I'm... I'm different than others. I'm not like... Kara. I'm not as good. I'm not good enough for you."

Nia furrowed her eyebrows in irritation. "What do you mean?"  
Linda stared at her feet. "I didn't see through Lex Luthor's lies. I led Kaznia right into a deadly trap. I almost killed Kara before and I couldn't save-", her voice broke off and she closed her eyes taking a deep breath. "I'm not... I'm not a hero like you, Nia. I'm a... a soldier. Lex Luthor wanted me to be emotionless, not to have any attachments. It was hard at first but I think... I've become a good sister. And a good friend. But I don't know if I can be a good- Maybe I'm not meant to be-"  
"Hey, hey, no.", Nia said, interrupting her and stepping closer until she stood in front of her. "None of that was your fault, okay? What happened doesn't define you. You _are_ a hero. I mean, you saved a boy's life on your first day! That's impressive! And of course you are a good sister and a good friend! You are great, perfect even. Please don't doubt yourself like that, Lin, you are worth so much more."  
Linda bit her lip and finally looked up.   
"But I'm-"

"What you are is a kindhearted, beautiful person, okay? You are caring...", Nia said softly, hesitating for a second before cupping half of Linda's face with her hand. "...and selfless. And good."  
Linda's eyes looked into her's. Her lips curled up into a sheepish smile. "You think so?"  
"I know so.", Nia replied determinedly.  
Linda breathed deeply, biting her lip. She moved out of Nia's touch and now she was the one who was nervously pacing, apparently thinking about what she had said.

"Look, I... I want you to be able to be yourself and I feel like you have been yourself more and more the last weeks. Who you were before you came to live here, that wasn't you. Not really. You stayed strong for so long but you don't have to be anymore. And I want to be the person you let your guard down with. I want you to be able to fully be yourself with me. No questions asked, no judgements...", Nia swallowed hardly as she watched Linda who finally stopped pacing. "Do you want that too?"

Linda looked back into her eyes - desperation but also hope in them.  
"Yes.", she said slowly. "With all my heart."  
Nia breathed out in relief. "Then kiss me.", she said softly.  
Linda stared at her for a few seconds, then her feet carried her over to her as her arms slung around Nia's neck and their lips collided into a passionate kiss.

As Nia's own lips responded, Linda had to take a step back, not realising just how close the couch was. Her knee buckled against the armrest and they fell onto the cushions. Linda landed on her back while Nia fell on top of her as Linda's hands automatically grabbed onto her waist to prevent her from rolling down onto the floor.  
They felt both instantly reminded of their ice skating accident where they had ended up in almost the exact same position.

They looked into each other's eyes in slight shock.  
"Nia?", Linda whispered.   
"Hm-hm?", the brunette just made in return, finding difficulty in breathing.  
A smirk spread across Linda's face. "I think you just fell for me."  
Nia blinked. Then she started snorting with laughter. "Did... did you just seriously use a pick-up line on me? Where did you even learn something like that?"  
Linda smiled sheepishly and Nia chuckled while shaking her head.  
"That's so incredibly cheesy.", she chuckled. She leaned down to add in a mumble: "But also like... really cute."  
And with those words she placed another kiss, this time more softly, onto Linda's lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to delve a little more into her PTSD from her time with Lex and I hope I kinda succeeded with this.  
> Anyway, hope you like it!


	13. Chapter 27B

As she woke up, her eyes were still closed but Linda could feel the weight of a blanket on her body and, more importantly, an arm around her. She also felt a few stray strands of hair tickling her cheek and a soft breath against the back of her neck.   
From the little space she had, she could tell that she was on the couch. And at first she assumed Kara to be the one holding her but then the memories of last night came rushing in and as she realised that Nia was the one who was cuddled against her back, her eyes shot open.

She flinched terribly when she unexpectantly saw her sister and Lena sitting on an armchair across from her. They were both still in their pajamas. Lena sat between Kara's legs as she was embraced by the blonde from behind. Kara's chin rested on Lena's shoulder.  
They were both smiling widely at her.  
"Sorry we didn't want to look all stalker-y but you two are so cute.", Kara whispered.   
Linda couldn't really be mad. She just felt her cheeks heating up a little.

For a while they all just stayed in silence. At some point Lena got up to make breakfast, not before cupping Kara's face and kissing her deeply and lovingly though.  
A few minutes after she had gone into the kitchen, a yawn and a few movements behind Linda announced that Nia was waking up too now.  
While she was still sleepily rubbing her eyes, she seemed very content. Then she noticed Kara sitting opposite them in the armchair however, sipping from her coffee mug and she appeared to be close to having a heart attack.  
"Oh my god.", she only brought out, instantly becoming red.

Not too long later, Lena walked back to them. She came to a halt at the armchair and wrapped her arms around Kara's shoulders from behind as she rested her chin on her head.   
Kara used the opportunity to press a little kiss on her upper arm.  
"Breakfast's almost ready.", Lena smiled.   
"Thank you, sunshine.", Kara beamed. She looked at the other two who were still wrapped up in the red blanket on the couch. "You two hungry?"  
Linda simply nodded in response.  
Nia on the other hand sheepishly answered: "Oh no, I- I couldn't- Thank you but... I should probably get home."

"Alright. Do you want to borrow some fresh clothes though? Since you, you know, slept in your own ones?"  
For a second, Nia seemed to want to decline on that offer too but she quickly reconsidered. She could use a change of clothes. "I would really appreciate that."  
While Lena left again to finish preparing breakfast, Kara disappeared in her room and came out a second later with some spare clothes. 

After Nia had gotten changed and gotten a little more fresh in the bathroom, she thanked her and said her goodbye's.   
"Hey, and don't forget. Game night or well, girl's night later today.", Kara said as a reminder.  
Nia smiled. "I'll be there."  
She went to hug Linda as a goodbye but was a little taken aback when the blonde instead cupped her cheeks and gave her a soft kiss.  
She had grown accustomed to the display of affection quite quickly as it seemed. Nia definitely couldn't say she minded.   
As they pulled apart, she cast a little side glance at Kara who was smiling brightly and actually even giving a thumbs up.  
Nia chuckled before finally leaving the appartement.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"No, like seriously, you deserve it, Kara. That article was groundbreaking. I'm so proud of you.", Alex said.   
Kara smiled as her cheeks blushed a little.   
"As am I.", Lena whispered with a smirk and raised her head from her place on Kara's shoulder to press a kiss on her cheek. "A pulitzer is a pretty big deal and there's no one who deserves it more."  
"Aw, Lee.", Kara blushed more deeply as she gently kissed her on the lips. Then she giggled quietly. "You know, I still can't believe thought that you're gonna be the one who introduces me."  
"I wouldn't miss this chance for the world. I can't wait to tell everyone just how wonderful my girlfriend is.", Lena replied, fully savoring the word "girlfriend". 

"Hey, we get it. You guys are cute. Disgustingly adorable. You can stop it now.", Alex commented, the amusement in her voice making clear she was just kidding. She tightened her arm around her own girlfriend, Kelly, who was sitting next to her on the couch.   
Linda, who was meanwhile sitting cross-legged in an armchair, looked back and forth between each of them, smiling brightly and shaking her head about the sisterly banter.  
Kara and Lena chuckled, curtly leaning their foreheads against each other's.

Then it knocked, making all their heads turn towards it in anticipation.  
"I'll get it. That must be Nia. Then our girl's night guests are finally complete.", Kara exclaimed as she gave Lena a last kiss on the temple and already jumped up to open the door. She came face to face with none other than the assumed brunette who also carried the clothes she had borrowed from Kara earlier.  
"Hey! Ah, thanks. Come on in! We've been waiting for you!", Kara beamed, taking the clothes from her and making a wide arm motion to show her she should step in.

Nia greeted back with a smile and entered. Kara closed the door behind her and placed the clothes on a counter next to the door before she accompanied her on the way to the couch area.  
While Kara retrieved her place next to the Luthor, Nia settled down on the armrest of the armchair which Linda was seated in.   
The blonde's eyes lit up upon seeing her and she stretched herself a little to give her a soft kiss as a greeting. 

Alex, as well as Kelly, blinked a few times in surprise and disbelief.  
"Hey, when did that happen?", Alex asked, pretty much flabbergasted.  
Linda and Nia both blushed and grew too sheepish to reply.   
"Nia came over yesterday.", Kara helped out with a grin, from her place on the couch, with one arm around Lena.  
"We left the appartement to give them some privacy.", Lena added with a smirk. "When we came back a few hours later, they were asleep and cuddled together on the couch."  
"On this couch?", Alex asked, raising an appalled eyebrow and pointing down to where she was sitting.  
"We didn't go further than kissing if that's what you're thinking.", Nia finally spoke up with deeply red cheeks.

Alex chuckled, shaking her head.   
"Don't worry, I'm just messing around. I'm happy for you guys. Really.", she said, raising her wine glass as she looked over at Linda. "And I mean, hey, you're not a true Danvers sister unless you're at least a little bit gay, so..."  
Kara laughed loudly at that statement and raised her own wine glass too. "I'll drink to that."

Linda locked eyes with Nia and both smiled shyly. Then the blonde slung her arm around her waist, gently pulling her down on her lap and resting her chin on her shoulder. Nia practically radiated happiness and she placed her own arm around Linda, drawing little circles on her upper arm with her hand. She was fully aware of the smiles and the looks which were thrown their way and which basically screamed " _Awww_!"

"Well, hey, by the way, did you hear the news? Kara just got the announcement that she's being presented with a pulitzer soon.", Alex threw in to spark the conversation again.   
"Oh my god, really? That's awesome! Congrats!", Nia squealed, making Kara smile again.  
"Thank you!", she responded happily, swinging her empty wine glass a little too closely by Kelly's and Alex's faces.  
Alex took the chance and exclaimed: "Kara, you're going to take someone's eye out."  
"Besides you're doing it wrong.", Kelly finished under her breath, making Alex grin brightly.

Nia instantly listened up. "Mind if I _slytherin_ into this conversation?"  
"Seriously? You guys are _riddikulus_.", Kara chuckled.  
"Don't you mean _siriusly_?", Lena said nonchalantly, looking down at her fingernails.  
Kara looked at her with wide eyes and Lena turned her head, starting to smirk.  
"What?"  
"I didn't know it was possible to love you more but apparently it is.", the blonde stated, to which Lena laughed.

Linda was meanwhile tilting her head and looking very confused. "I don't understand."  
"Oh that's just some Harry Potter references.", Nia explained.  
Linda frowned. "Who's Harry Potter?"  
Nia's hand automatically moved to rest on her chest in shock as her eyes shifted from Linda to Kara and Alex.   
"You guys haven't shown her Harry Potter yet?", she asked, almost sounding offended.  
The other two Danvers sisters pulled faces of shame as they sheepishly nodded.   
Alex slapped a hand on her leg as she stated: "Well, we've got to make up for that."  
Kara's eyes widened in excitement and she raised both fists into the air. "Harry Potter marathon!"

Linda was obviously confused about the sudden change of topic and the fuss everyone made as they scrambled around, preparing the couch and armchairs.  
Kara had rushed away to get the movie discs and continued to walk over to the TV to get that ready.   
But Linda didn't mind when Nia pulled her over to the couch to sit down and embraced her tightly.

While Alex and Kelly had made the armchair their own - with Kelly taking place in Alex's lap -, the twins had cuddled up with their respective girlfriends.   
As the first movie started, Alex, Kara and Nia all hummed along to the soundtrack of Hedwig's Theme, making the other three women chuckle, both in amusement as well as adoration for their little geeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you'll enjoy it!


	14. Chapter 28B

Nia and Linda sat across from each other, both feeling a little awkward and nervous. And most of all unsure of what to possibly say.   
Linda was, as always, clad into her leather jacket - she hadn't even taken it off as they came in, apparently seeking guidance and comfort from it. Understandably. She had never been on a date before. She didn't know what to do, what to say.

And honestly, Nia didn't really know either at the moment.   
She wasn't really shy - awkward at times and easily embarrassed maybe, but not shy. She was a Gryffindor after all, god damnit.   
She always found something to talk about. But right now, she couldn't really find any words.   
Just half an hour before when Linda had knocked on her appartement door, she had been ecstatic. And incredibly flattered when Linda had sheepishly raised a small bouquet of flowers in her direction. Probably having learned that that was something romantic you could do on a first date from movies or books. Or maybe Kara had given her a bit of advice. 

Linda had followed Nia to the restaurant like a puppy, having been very keen on holding her hand though. At that point Nia had still been talking a lot.  
However now that they were here, things were... different. Everything about the entire situation seemed so much more real.   
It was quite the fancy place and everything was so formal. It just didn't really seem to fit and it kind of made both of them uncomfortable.  
It was definitely clear that Linda felt overwhelmed by the situation, though she tried covering it up by keeping her focus on Nia. The brunette replied with a soft smile to reassure her but she knew that this wouldn't work.  
And because they hadn't even been able to order yet since the restaurant was very crowded anyway, Nia made a decision.   
She wasn't gonna let this first date go down the drain. She wanted this to be great. 

"You know what?", Nia suddenly exclaimed, pushing back her chair. "Let's get out of here. And go somewhere else. I know something that's gonna be a lot better."  
She stood up and grabbed Linda's hand.  
They left the table behind them, hand in hand. Someone else would surely enjoy the now free unreserved table much more.  
She gently dragged her outside and back to her appartement which was luckily enough just a few minutes of walking. There she pulled her over to her car.  
"Where are we going?", Linda asked curiously.  
"Oh you'll see.", Nia responded with a smile. "But I'm sure you'll like it."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"That's where Naltor is.", Nia said, pointing up at the starry sky. "Of course not exactly. It's impossible to tell from here but... it's roughly right."  
They laid closely next to each other on an old picnic blanket which she still drove around in the trunk of her car. She had used it maybe once and always forgotten to take it out. But now it got it's use.

Nia had driven them to a reserved little hill at the edge of the city, covered by green fresh glass with a few big trees which were creating big shadows under the star filled night sky. The stars and the moon were the only light they were concentrating on. The city lights were of course quite captivating as well but nothing in comparison to the sky.

Nia had figured that a secluded space would be much more comforting and relaxing than a stuffed room where countless other people were chatting and making it hard to really feel connected.   
Here, on the open field, they were calm and content. Able to enjoy each other's company to the fullest without any weird feelings.

Nia had explained the constellations of the stars and tried as best as she could to show Linda some of them for the last hour or so but she couldn't even recognize most of them herself. She wasn't exactly an expert, she just repeated what her mother had used to tell when she was little.  
But it didn't matter. It was peaceful and quiet. And a beautiful view.   
Linda listened attentively to every word she said, looking up at the stars and loving to just listen to Nia's voice, explaining all of it to her as best as she could.

"Naltor.", Linda said slowly, seemingly trying to imagine it. "Where your mom is from."   
"Yeah, that's where she came from.", Nia whispered, having to swallow the uprising lump in her throat. Her mother's death was still weighing down on her, though it had been months by now.  
Linda glanced over and noticed the slight shift in mood, quickly understanding what was going on. She hesitated a second before interwining her fingers with Nia's. The brunette looked over at her, a small smile dancing across her lips.  
"Do you... do you know where Krypton was? Roughly, I mean.", Linda asked, choosing to change the topic. "Kara explained to me where Argo is once but... but she doesn't really like talking about Krypton."

Nia watched her for a few seconds, noticing how her thumb automatically stroked the back of Linda's hand. She knew very well what it was like to have origins on a completely different planet but never actually having been there. It was a strange feeling and kind of unsettling at times.   
She turned her head back to the sky, apparently thinking a little.   
"I'm not a hundred percent sure. My mom once mentioned the distance and stuff from Krypton to Naltor when we saw one news report about Supergirl on TV. You know, when I still lived in Parthas. Based on what she said, I would guess, it used to be there. Of course a lot further into space but... that should be the rough direction."  
She raised her finger at yet another spot in the endless sky.   
Linda's eyes followed her finger with a certain kind of shimmer inside of them and nodded, both intrigued and grateful.

They laid in comfortable silence for a while, simply gazing into the star lit sky, holding each other's hand.  
Nia sighed happily. "You know, I'm glad we came here. This is actually so much better than a dinner in a stuffed restaurant."  
Linda smiled, nodding slightly.  
"It's a really pretty view.", Nia added, letting her eyes wander across the night sky.  
Linda turned her head to the side, so she could look at the brunette, and the corners of her lips lifted themselves again as she continued to keep her view on her. "It is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fluffy little filler chapter because why not  
> Hope you enjoy it! :)


	15. Chapter 29B

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the B-version of the Pulitzer party. Not a lot of differences to the A-version, just so you know

Kara and Lena, as well as Linda and Nia entered the hall. Their arms were linked into their respective girlfriend's as they walked.   
The twins even matched colorwise. However while Kara wore a blue dress, Linda wore a blue suit - simply not the type for dresses. She had experienced wearing a skirt once when she was forced to impersonate Supergirl and she was certain that she didn't want to wear something like it ever again. Lucky enough, Lena was an expert in getting good quality suits, as she oftentimes prefered those too, even if she was wearing a red dress now, and had helped her hopefully-future-sister-in-law pick one out.

Kara gaped at the hall.  
"Wow, this... this is a very big room and that's a lot of people.", Kara stated, chuckling.  
Linda tilted her head. "You're nervous."  
"What? Nooo. I'm- I'm completely fine.", Kara replied. Her voice grew high-pitched.  
"Your heartbeat says something else.", Linda said. 

Kara opened and closed her mouth a few times before pursing her lips.  
Lena laughed quietly. "Well, darling, Linda's not wrong. I may not have superhearing but I can still tell you're nervous. You don't have to be though. Remember, you earned this."  
She placed a hand on her arm and Kara sighed with a smile before nodding. 

"Hey, guys!", Alex exclaimed, suddenly appearing next to them, accompanied by Kelly.   
They all greeted back simultaneously.  
"Kara. Congratulations.", Kelly said softly.  
"Thank you!", Kara smiled.  
"By the way, can I just say I'm incredibly glad that you got those bangs because now I can finally tell you and Linda apart.", Kelly chuckled, apparently a little embarrassed.  
None of them couldn't help the little laugh erupting from their throats.  
"Yeah, we've actually heard that a few times now.", Kara admitted, looking over at Linda. "We do look very alike."

"That's an understatement. You're basically clones!", Kelly responded.  
All remaining five surpressed the snort that wanted to escape. Luckily Kelly didn't seem to notice.   
Kara and Linda simply grinned at each other.   
If only she knew.  
They talked for a little while longer until Alex spoke up.

"Well, we would stay longer but Kelly's been bugging me about dancing almost an hour before we met you guys, so-", Alex trailed off with blushed cheeks.  
They chuckled.   
"Sure, go knock yourselves out.", Kara laughed.  
With those words, Kelly led Alex away.

"Oh, before I have to go, I still have something to give you.", Lena said suddenly, grabbing Kara's hand. She looked over at Linda. "I'll need that case now please."  
Linda nodded and pulled out a little case from her pants, no bigger than the palm of her hand and very flat. She was the only one who had been able to carry it as she was the only one with pockets.  
She handed it to Lena who thanked her before pulling Kara along to a more secluded space. 

Kara smiled sheepishly. "You know that's not necessary. You didn't have to get me anything."  
"It is.", Lena smirked. "Because it's your new suit."  
"My what?", Kara asked flabbergasted.  
"Brainy and I worked on a new suit for you. I'm sure you'll find great pleasure in it.", Lena explained with a smile. 

When she opened the little box however, there was apparently nothing there, making Kara raise an eyebrow. Before she could ask, Lena explained.   
"It's a microscopic motion activator. That means it's very small, making it not visible to the eye, not even yours. But I promise it is still as effective nonetheless.", she carefully put her finger inside before placing it on the side of Kara's glasses. The blonde blinked. "Now you'll just have to be careful when you take your glasses off because as soon as whip them off, your suit will materialise. Or de-materialise as needed."  
"M-materalise? You mean like Lin's suit?", she asked with wide eyes.  
Lena nodded. "Yes."  
"Cool!", she grinned.

"Ms Luthor, there you are. You're on in five minutes.", an attendant announced as he took quick steps forward.   
"Alright, thank you. I'll be right there.", Lena smiled.  
The attendant nodded and disappeared again.   
"Well, I'll see you on stage.", Lena told Kara before giving her a quick kiss.   
With those words, Lena left her and made her way to prepare.  
Kara smiled dreamily as she watched after her and sighed. Then she made her way to join her sisters and friends again.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"The world is full of liars. People who hide things from us. People who manipulate and control us. I should know. Some of the best liars in the world are members of my own family. But in my life, there was someone who always reminded me that truth was the better way. And she is the person we are here tonight to celebrate. She's not just my longterm best friend but as of recently she is also my girlfriend. Kara Danvers."

Kara smiled brightly as the first round of applause erupted from the crowd.   
Alex nudged her shoulder with a grin.

"The truth isn't easy. It's certainly not for the faint of heart. But it is something that Kara, as a journalist, has pursued relentlessly every day. And because she's so good at it, she makes it look easy. We sometimes forget that she's just like us. But forging a path to the truth isn't a piece of cake. It's more like climbing a mountain. It's arduous and painful at times, and just like us, Kara can sometimes slip. But she always gets back up and pulls through in the end. And we're always better for her efforts. So, thank you, Kara, for reminding us that the truth is important. Even when it's not always easy to accept."

Kara took a deep breath as she wiped her eyes. "Rao, I hope this make up is waterproof.", she mumbled.  
Linda, who's superhearing caused her to be only one able to hear that statement, chuckled and patted her shoulder.   
Then Kara finally went to the front with another round of applause behind her back. As she arrived next to Lena, she was met with a short but passionate kiss.


	16. Chapter 30B

"Ah crap.", Nia hissed, abruptly coming to a halt and raising her leg up slightly as she started rubbing her ankle.  
Linda stopped too, returning to her side now and tilting her head a little. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine, I just twisted my ankle. Hold on. I just need... I need a sec.", Nia brought out. She carefully tested whether she could place her foot on the ground again and though she flinched a little in the process, she managed to put it down. 

She proceeded to rest her hands on her knees, inhaling air and trying to use this break to catch a breath.   
Linda still looked at her, seemingly not knowing whether to be worried or amused.  
Nia looked up at her, chuckling. "You know I really envy your endurance and basically invulnerability. Totally unfair."  
The blonde gave a small shy smile at that statement.

Nia had thought that it could be a nice little activity to do together - going for a run, enjoying the nice weather, simply spending a little time together.  
She should have known that doing that with a kryptonian was not exactly balanced though.  
While she was completely out of breath, could barely feel her legs anymore, had a stitch in her left side and probably a deeply red face out of exhaustion, Linda hadn't even broken a sweat - of course she didn't.   
Damn kryptonian stamina.  
Lena had warned her. She knew what she was talking about because she worked out with Kara too sometimes. Nia knew now that she should have taken the warning a little more seriously.  
She had been able to keep up with Linda quite well as the latter didn't go very fast but because of her endurance, she was able to go on for hours while Nia had already started to feel tired after almost fortyfive minutes.  
And because the exhaustion had taken over, she hadn't paid close attention to the ground and this not to the hole into which she had promptly stepped, causing her to twist her ankle.

Linda watched her, apparently realising that the brunette wouldn't exactly be able to start running anytime soon. She pursed her a lips a little as she moved her mouth from one side of her face to the other, thinking about something she could do to help.   
She smiled and nodded, mostly to herself, before closing the distance to Nia.   
She crouched down slightly in front of her with her back to her. Her hands wrapped around Nia's legs and the brunette just barely recognized in time what she was about to do - she managed to sling her arms around Linda's neck just as she lifted her up until Nia sat on the blonde's back.   
She didn't even remember the last time someone had given her a piggyback ride and she certainly hadn't expected it now.

"Oh my god, what are you doing?", Nia exclaimed with a high pitched voice.  
Linda shrugged with a smile. "Carrying you. So you don't have to run anymore."  
Nia shook her head with a quiet laugh and leaned down, pressing a kiss on her cheek. "You are adorable, you know that?"  
Linda beamed in response and simply started walking as Nia rested her chin on the top of Linda's head - honestly, enjoying being carried like this greatly. 

Suddenly though another thought seemed to strike the blonde and a mischievous smirk spread across her lips.   
With a small jump, she started running again - not fast enough to make other people suspicious but still fast enough to startle Nia and make her hold on tighter as she squieked in surprise.  
But soon enough she started laughing again.   
"You're impossible.", Nia chuckled.

After a while Linda had slowed down to a normal walking speed again, still carrying Nia on her back until they reached the latter's appartement. There she finally let her down and they went in together.  
As there was absolutely no sound to be heard, Nia came to the logical conclusion that Yvette had gone out. So that meant they were alone. 

"Well, I'll take a shower before we do anything else because I'm very sweaty and gross.", Nia announced as they entered.   
"You could never be gross.", Linda simply replied as she made her way over to the couch where she plopped herself down.  
The brunette smiled widely and rubbed the back of her neck, feeling quite touched by the words.  
Then she disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.   
Apparently not rightly so because it automatically opened itself a little, leaving a small gap which she didn't realize.

When Linda eventually took notice of that fact, Nia was already undressing herself - only standing in a bra, at the moment opening the tie of her sweatpants.  
Technically Linda knew it would be impolite and wrong to watch but she couldn't seem to be able to take her eyes away.   
She felt herself swallowing as the sweatpants hit the floor, leaving Nia only in her underwear.

Just in that moment, the brunette finally noticed the gap of the door and the plain sight in which she stood. As well as Linda's eyes which widened as she quickly tried looking anywhere but the bathroom.  
At first Nia blushed a deep red, entirely embarrassed.   
But then a spark of courage appeared to rise in her and a smirk spread upon her face as she exclaimed: "You know, if you want, you can join me."

Linda was frozen for a few seconds before she felt her own lips curl up into a smile. She got back on her feet and took the few steps to the bathroom. She opened the door further, enough so that she could step in and close it, this time really, behind her.   
She couldn't describe how she felt as she stood in front of Nia, barely able to stop herself from glancing down - weirdly enough, she was both nervous and completely calm at the same time.

Nia took a shaky breath. "Can you help me with my bra?"  
Linda blinked a few times, then nodded and stepped closer until she stood behind her. Her hands moved to unclasp the clips of the bra, letting it fall to the floor onto the already established pile of clothes.   
The blonde looked at Nia's bare back, gently trailing a finger between her shoulder blades, leaving goosebumps wherever her soft touch went. 

"You know I hardly think it's fair that you're still fully clothed.", Nia whispered as she curtly licked her lips.   
She slowly turned around to face Linda whose blue eyes were instantly piercing into her's.   
Her hands trembled ever so slightly when they went to unzip the black hooded jacket of the blonde and let it slide down her arms onto the floor before pulling her top over her head. 

Not too long after, they had both gotten rid of all their clothes and Nia took Linda's hand, gently tugging her along and leading her into the shower. As the water started to drip down on them, Linda still scanned Nia's face, a soft smile on her lips.  
"What?", Nia whispered.  
"Nothing.", the blonde replied with a content sigh. "You're just so beautiful."  
The brunette blushed once more and slung her arms around Linda's neck, placing her lips on top of her's.   
Soon enough though, the soft little kiss turned into a little more passionate and the hot water splashing down onto the two of them was no longer the only steamy thing inside that shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a filler but then I got an idea for a plotpoint, sooo... The next chapter's gonna pick up after the shower.  
> Anyways, hope you enjoy it :)


	17. Chapter 31B

After they had stepped out of the shower, Linda left the bathroom, dressed only in a towel, to get some fresh clothes from Nia's room, for herself and, upon request, for the brunette as well.   
She simply picked out some hoodies and some jeans before marching over to the drawers where she came to a halt and looked a little puzzled. She didn't really know which drawer was for what. She just shrugged and opened one after the other to rummage through.   
She found everything she looked for after a while - and something else.

She frowned when she felt a thick piece of paper, underneath a pile of socks. Curiosity taking a hold of her, she pulled it out and took a look at it. It wasn't paper but a photograph, showing Nia and another brunette woman, both beaming into the camera, closely snuggled together. 

"Sorry, I didn't realise that you wouldn't know where anything is he-", Nia said as she entered the room, hair still damp even after she had been blow-drying it. She was clad into a pink bathrobe.  
As she abruptly stopped talking, Linda raised her head into her direction.   
Nia seemed rather startled. She swallowed and didn't seem to know what to say at the sight of the blonde, standing in front of the dresser and holding the photograph which she knew just too well.  
Linda tilted her head and held up the picture in her direction.  
"Who is that?", she asked curiously. 

Nia sighed deeply and slowly stepped closer, taking the photo which Linda handed to her now. She looked at it with rather sad eyes. "That's my sister. Maeve."  
"I didn't know you had a sister."  
"Yeah, we... we, uh, had something like a fight. It was... pretty bad. We haven't talked since."  
The blonde watched her attentively, interpreted the way she stared at the photo in her hands and chewed on her lip. "You would like to. Talk to her, I mean."

Nia looked up, with another sigh. "I guess... I don't know. She was so upset and angry at me. She thought she would get the dream powers and worked her entire life on training for when she gets them. But then I got them and when she found out... she lost it. It... like I said, it was pretty bad. I don't think she wants to see me.", Nia said sadly as she crammed the picture back into the depths of her drawer. "But I do miss her sometimes."

Linda pursed her lips a little, apparently thinking. Then she wrapped her arms around her from the side and rested her head on the brunette's shoulder.  
"I'm sorry.", she said softly.  
Nia brought up a small smile, raising one hand to boop the blonde's nose. "Thank you, my little sun puppy."  
The corners of Linda's lips lifted themselves upon hearing the beloved pet name.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Woah, woah, woah. From the top, please. What's going on? I only understood that it's about Lin.", Kara said into the phone.   
Nia groaned. "She's gone! I went into the bathroom to get dressed after taking a shower and when I came back out, she wasn't there anymore. And neither were my car keys. She just left a note saying I shouldn't worry and that she'd be back soon."  
Kara blinked a few times. "Well, I mean if she left a note and said not to worry, why are you worried then?"

"Because finding that note was several hours ago and she's still not back yet! Like I tried to keep it cool, I really did but whatever it is she wanted to do can't be taking hours!", Nia exclaimed, running a hand through her hair.  
On the other side of the line, Kara's breath seemed to stock. "Okay, I guess that's a reasonable answer. Do you have any idea where she could be?"  
"No! Do you think that if I did, I would call you to ask if you know something?", she responded, a little snappy which she felt guilty for but she was kinda freaking out at the moment.

"Was there anything she mentioned before you went into the bathroom? Anything you two did that might have made her want to do something or go somewhere? I mean, Lin's not exactly the type for simply running off. She must have some kind of plan in mind."  
"I don't know anything, I-", Nia interrupted herself as her eyes shifted over to the slightly open door to her room. She had a perfectly clear view on her dresser, on the drawer which she and Linda had stood in front of just a few hours ago. 

"Actually, I think I might have an idea... She found a photo of Maeve and I. I roughly explained what happened and that we're not talking anymore. She could tell that I was still hurting... But... But she can't have just gone to Parthas, right? She didn't seriously go to visit my sister, did she?", Nia said, almost growing hysterical.  
After a few seconds of silence, Kara quietly said: "Honestly? I wouldn't put it past her."

"She doesn't even know where she lives. Is she just gonna try every house she comes across?"  
"Well, she could have found the adress somewhere in your room maybe. Do you have it written down somewhere?", Kara asked.  
Nia's eyes widened when she asked that question, her mind instantly going to a specific point.  
She took quick steps into her room and towards her nightstand.  
As soon as she arrived there, it was clear that the suspicion of Linda going to Parthas to find Maeve had actually been true.

A little journal in which Nia kept important facts like addresses or telephone numbers was placed on top of another book on the nightstand. Normally, it was supposed to be inside of it.   
"Oh god.", Nia simply whispered.  
"Welp, um... Just try to see it as a declaration of how much she cares?", Kara attempted to cheer her up.

Just in that moment, the sound of a key turning in the lock of the front door startled Nia out of her deep thoughts and she visibly flinched.  
She slowly turned around with wide eyes.   
"What is it?", Kara wanted to know when Nia didn't say anything anymore.   
"She's back.", Nia said quietly. "I'm gonna call you back."  
She hung up without another word.

She felt herself starting to tremble as she took cautious steps out of her room.   
She wondered whether Linda had actually managed to convince Maeve to come along. And a part of her wished for it, while another part didn't even want to consider the possibility of having to look her sister in the eye.  
But when she really saw her, in all her glory, standing in the middle of the living room, her heart dropped.

Linda turned around and beamed when she saw Nia. She pointed at the other brunette. "I found your sister! Now you can make up!"  
Maeve turned around now as well and instantly bit her lip and glanced down at the ground as she saw her sister.  
Nia could only blink a few times, still disbelieving of the whole situation.   
She swallowed the uprising lump in her throat and brought out a high pitched: "Maeve. You're here."  
Her sister nodded slightly. "I'm here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to pick up this storyline because I wished to see some kind of reconciliation or something on the show. Like the writers shouldn't have just abandoned that plotpoint.  
> Anyways, hope you enjoy it ^-^


	18. Chapter 32B

Linda had simply known that she needed to do something. And she was determined to do something.   
Anything that would lift the weight off of Nia's shoulder, the weight of the fight which she had had with her sister.  
That's why she had, without further ado, taken matters into her own hands and had looked for some indication of where to find that sister.   
After she had found an adress, she had driven off to Parthas. Luckily enough, the car had a GPS as she had no idea where she would need to go.

And now, she was there.   
She stared at the house and felt herself grow wary - unsure if this rushed plan was such a good idea after all.   
She didn't know that woman and she didn't exactly know what had happened between the two. She only knew that it had to do with the dream powers and the fact that Maeve had apparently thought she would be the one to get them.   
But as she thought back to the sad look in Nia's eyes, she gripped the steering wheel harder until finally releasing it and getting out of the car. 

With quick steps, she made her way to the front door and rang the bell.   
None other than the woman from the photo opened the door and looked at Linda with a rather surprised and confused look.   
"Maeve.", Linda stated.   
"Uh. Kara Danvers. What- what are you doing here?", Maeve replied.  
Linda tilted her head. "I'm not Kara. I'm her twin sister. Linda. Linda Lee Danvers.", she said, stretching out her hand.

"Oh, uhm, okay. I didn't know she had a twin.", Maeve furrowed her eyebrows, taking Linda's hand and shaking it curtly. She stared at her for a few seconds before stepping aside. "Do you want to come in?"  
Linda gave a short nod and entered the house.   
The brunette asked whether she would like something to drink as she led her to the kitchen but Linda just shook her head.  
"So, um, is there anything I can do for you?", Maeve asked as they sat down at the kitchen table.  
"Yes, I need to talk to you.", Linda said in response. "It's about Nia."

Maeve's face fell. "Oh. I... We don't really have contact anymore. What is it?"  
Linda studied her face, tried to find any indication of how she felt but she couldn't read her like she could read Nia. She didn't have the same kind of connection to her.   
"She misses you.", she exclaimed simply.   
Maeve couldn't help but scoff bitterly at these words. "I doubt that."  
Linda frowned. "Why?"

"Because I said some really bad stuff to her. I hurt her deeply. What I said... is unforgivable.", Maeve said quietly, looking down at the table.   
"She's your sister. She can forgive you. Sisters forgive.", Linda argued. "It's nobody's fault that she got the powers, not you. You shouldn't fight about it anymore."  
The brunette gave a dark chuckle and shook her head. "No, believe me, there's no coming back from this. I was horrible. I... I said that she shouldn't have them. That she shouldn't have them because... they're passed down from mother to daughter... because she's not a real woman."   
The repition of the gruesome words only seemed to leave her mouth with difficulty, as if they were causing her physical pain.

Linda's jaw clenched. Under the table her hands balled into fists - so tightly that her knuckles turned white.   
She hadn't known that. Nia hadn't told her that part of the story. Probably because she knew that it would make her angry.   
Maeve looked down in shame upon seeing the drastic change on the blonde's face.  
She buried her face in her hands. 

"You have no idea just how much I regret saying those words. I... I was angry and disappointed and still grieving over my mother's death and... and hearing that everything I worked for was for nothing, that my biggest wish would never come true... It just triggered this intense rage and- But there's no excuse.", she interrupted herself, sighing sadly before raising her head again. "I screwed up. Big time. I hurt one of the most important people in my life. In the worst way possible. All because I couldn't deal with my feelings. I would take it back in a heartbeat, if I could, believe me."

Linda didn't know why but she did. She believed her. She felt her jaw unclench and her fists loosening.   
And then she admitted to herself that she did know why she believed her. Because she too screwed up. Not just once but for months in a row, by putting her trust in that psychopath Lex Luthor who manipulated her. Who had made her attempt to kill Kara. And she had. She had killed her. It had been incredibly lucky that Kara managed to save herself.   
And yet she had forgiven her. Had accepted her into the family, as her sister and had protected her and had been there for her ever since.

"I know... what that feels like. I wasn't good to my sister either, I-", she almost let those words slip out but admitting to almost killing your sister probably wasn't something you should talk about with someone you only met ten minutes ago. "I once hurt my own sister. Very badly. But I did everything in my power to make it up to her. I'm still trying but... but she actually doesn't want that. She never wanted that. All it took for her to forgive me was to see that I changed. And that I didn't mean for it to happen. She forgave me and now... we're sisters."

Linda surpressed the quiver which threatend her voice. She had never really talked to anyone about the kindness Kara had shown her. It meant the world to her how compassionate Kara was and continues to be towards her despite everything she did. 

Maeve stayed silent for a moment and chewed on her lip, deep in thought.  
"You really think she will forgive me?", she asked finally.  
Linda nodded. "That's not the hard part. I think she might actually have forgiven you already. She didn't seem angry when she talked about you. She just misses you."  
"Then what's the hard part?"  
Linda glanced down at her hands, then back up. "You... you have to forgive yourself too."  
She knew how hard that part was. After all the time she was now living with Kara and living in her family, she was still struggling with it.  
Maeve sniffled quietly and nodded.

A few minutes later, they actually made their way towards the car.   
Linda was glad that she actually did take it and didn't just fly out here. That would have been a problem now because Maeve would surely have asked how the hell she managed to get to Parthas.  
Now, they got into the car to make their way to National City.   
"You know, Nia's really lucky to have a friend like you.", Maeve said with a soft smile. "There's not a lot of people who would make such a long drive so that their friend can reunite her sister."  
"Girlfriend.", Linda said.  
"What?"  
"I'm her girlfriend.", Linda replied simply.  
Maeve blinked a few times.  
"Wow, there's really a lot I need to catch up on."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

So now they were standing in the middle of Nia's appartement. Nia herself was looking like she had just seen a ghost while Maeve shifted her weight from one foot to the other.  
Linda glanced back and forth between the two of them. "I think I should go."   
She walked over to Nia and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before leaving the appartement.   
Now only the two sisters were left.

After a few moments of awkward silence though, they sat down and they did what they should have done weeks ago. They talked.   
Attempted explanations were given, apologies were exchanged, tears were shed.  
And when she brought her sister home again the next day, they said goodbye with a tight hug.   
Things couldn't just go back to how they used to be instantly of course but they were on a good way. They would be fine again at some point.

When Nia saw Linda a few hours later, she gave her the same kind of tight hug. She didn't know how to express her gratitude.   
So when she whispered the simple words "Thank you", she tried to put as much emotion and meaning into them as possible.   
Linda just smiled and wrapped her own arms around her. She didn't need a big declaration of thankfulness. She didn't want it.  
What she needed and wanted was already right there in her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this one! :)


	19. Chapter 33B

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you'll recognize that this is the alternative version to that attack on CatCo. Just altered to create some more fluffy moments between Linda and Nia ;)

They were having a completely normal day when a group of people, completely dressed in black, including black masks, stormed into the media empire. They were armed with guns. Somehow CatCo seemed to be quite the unsafe place lately.  
The workers of the floor instantly started screaming and scattering, trying to find a place to hide which was hard to do in a wide, open room. 

Kara and Linda's eyes met and they nodded. They had to try to get out so Supergirl and Red Daughter could get in. However the masked people spread quickly, blocking the doors.  
The twins came together, both thinking deeply and hastily about how they could possibly get out of there.   
At that moment, one of the people stepped into the middle of the room. It must have been a woman as she was rather petite and there were visible curves visible through the thick layer of black clothing. A little curl of blonde hair looked out of the mask. 

Then Kara noticed that one of the door's guards was starting to become unattentive, or at least not as attentive as before. She pulled Linda along as they sneaked their way around along the wall until they finally rushed out of the room to change.  
Coming back seconds later in their suits, ready to take on the fight. 

"You're taking the ones on this side, I take the ones on this side?", Kara questioned and Linda nodded, rushing off.  
The woman who had stepped into the middle before and seemed to be some sort of a leader of this group turned to her now.   
"There you are. I've been waiting for you.", she said. Her voice was being distorted - a voice changer so that meant she wanted to avoid being possibly recognized at all costs. She rose a gun at Kara and fired. 

Kara had luck that she decided to catch it instead of letting it bounce off of her like she would sometimes do. Because as soon as she held it in her hand, she felt the dizziness and weakness - kryptonite.   
Kryptonite bullets.   
Kara furrowed her eyebrows in shock and threw it away before dodging another bullet.  
At that point another man attacked her simultaneously.   
"Careful, Red, they have kryptonite bullets!", Kara exclaimed as she dodged the man's weapon and rammed her elbow into his temple, knocking him out. She continued in a whisper and with a frown: "Wherever the hell they got those from."  
She rushed forward to the woman. She should deal with her first.

On the other side of the room, Nia licked her lips nervously and stepped closer to one of the masked people, raising the stapler she was holding just a little higher. She wouldn't be able to get out and change into her Dreamer suit but she could still be a badass, right?  
She breathed deeply before taking a swing and hitting it on the man's head with full force. Sadly, that didn't have the effect she had wished for.   
While he did grunt in pain and swayed a bit, he did stay on his feet. He turned around. Apparently the only thing she achieved was making him angry. 

Nia caught his arms as he was taking his own swing and rang with him for awhile. He seemed to have more physical strength than her though as he easily pushed her back, making her stumble.   
Then suddenly she felt the edge of the open window in her back. And before she could do as much as scream, she was falling. 

Her eyes were pressed tightly shut. It seemed like only a second of falling turned into an eternity.   
And then she hit something. But it wasn't the ground. It was a pair of arms.   
She opened her eyes, meeting Linda's.   
"Oh. Hey.", Nia whispered with a shaky voice, the adrenalin rushing through her veins.  
"Hi.", Linda replied, sounding almost like she was out of breath.   
Nia broke into a smile as the initial shock started to fall off. "Thanks. For saving me."  
"Of course.", the blonde simply said. She gently nudged her nose against Nia's as she couldn't exactly raise a hand to her cheek or something like that since she held her up in her arms. "I'll protect you."

Nia's smile widened and she rested her forehead against her's for a second.  
Then Linda finally flew upwards, back through the window where she carefully put her back on her feet.   
She looked at Nia for a second and swallowed, seemingly needing to hold herself back. She took a deep breath before turning around to the guy who had caused Nia to fall out of the window in the first place.

Her face scrunched up and her eye seemed to twitch.   
"That wasn't very nice.", she stated before taking a few long strodes and giving him a very precise right hook. The punch hit him with such force that he took a 360° spin before landing face first on the floor.   
She looked down at him and nodded once in approvement of her work.   
She took a last glance at Nia which silently but clearly said "Stay safe. Please." before joining her sister again. 

Apparently the attacking group had run out of kryptonite bullets and the leader seemed to recognize that there were already too many of her men knocked out - too many beaten. They were losing. She gave a frustrated groan before screaming out a "Retreat!"  
Kara was already thinking about how they would possibly want to be able to escape when two kryptonians with superspeed were present.   
However she was taken off guard when all them pressed a simple button on their watches and disappeared in a portal.   
How the hell did they get Lex Luthor's transportation technology?

Kara blinked a few times in confusion.   
Then she pulled herself together and made eye contact with her sister again, to which they both shot out of CatCo's window and sneaked back in just a few seconds later as Kara and Linda Danvers.  
Linda instantly scanned the room and before Kara could say anything, she had run off.   
A few seconds later, she had thrown her arms around Nia, hugging her tightly - not tight enough to hurt her but tight enough to feel her close. 

"I was scared for you.", Linda whispered into Nia's shoulder.  
The brunette seemed a bit startled but wrapped her own arms around her too now.  
"I'm okay.", she said quietly, a soft smile on her lips. She turned her head a little to kiss her cheek. "Thanks to you. You're protecting me, remember?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it!


	20. Chapter 34B

It had taken quite some time until Linda had finally been able to pull away from the tight hug which she shared with Nia. And even then, she refused to leave her side, accompanying her even on the short way to get some coffee.   
She seemed to tense at every apparent wrong side glance of people who passed them and she seemed to be ready to have to defend her with all she had at any given moment - even though she was mostly just imagining or misinterpreting those mal-intended looks. 

That behavior didn't really fade.  
Though Nia reassured her several times that she was fine and that she didn't have to worry, Linda remained in her over-protective state.  
Every now and then she would pull her close, rest her chin on her shoulder or place her hand on top of her's to give it a little squeeze - taking every little given chance at body contact.   
Sometimes she would zone out - would listen to Nia's heartbeat, as if she was afraid it would stop at any second, though she knew deep down that this thought was more than just ridiculous.   
But she couldn't stop herself. 

As their work day ended and it was time to get home, she only let her go very reluctantly. Only after a very tight and longlasting hug.  
And when they arrived home, Kara simply knew they had to speak about it. It seemed to become a habit of having to ask Linda what was going on and growing worried about her. That was just the life of being a superhero twin sister, she guessed.   
Their emotional connection appeared to grow stronger with everyday. 

So after they had both plopped down on the couch, Kara turned her head to her.  
"Do you want to talk about it?", she simply asked, sympathetically.   
Linda instantly knew just what she meant exactly and sighed deeply. "I don't know. It's just... I don't even know when I started to care so much. I always wanted to protect her. Because that's what I do, I protect my people. But... but today, that was different. It felt like- like I couldn't breathe, like my heart stopped beating for a second. I... I only ever felt something like this when-", she interrupted herself, looking down at her fidgeting hands.

She didn't to continue for Kara to know what she actually wanted to say. _When Mikhail died._  
Linda took a deep breath before letting her eyes meet those of her sister again. "It's scary. To care so much. And to almost... almost lose her."

Kara nodded slowly. Understanding those fears more than she could possibly put into words. She placed her hand on top of Linda's.   
"I get that. I totally get that. Because it's the same way I feel about Lena. And I mean we both have our very justified reasons for being worried. Lena basically has a target on her back at all times because of her last name and Nia is a superhero too, meaning she's willing to constantly throw herself into danger without even thinking about it."  
Linda just agreed quietly, not finding the right words to reply with.  
"What I wanna say is, I know it's scary. Terrifying even. But we can't let that fear control us, we... we have to go beyond it. We have to trust that we'll always be there to protect them. Or else we won't be able to get out of bed in the morning."

Linda seemed to consider her words before nodding.   
They fell into a comfortable silence and simply sat next to each other for a while.  
Then Kara smiled softly. "Besides... the fact that you are so scared of Nia getting hurt and so determined to defend her... that you are able to care so much about someone. That's also kind of beautiful, isn't it? To have someone who means so much to you that you can't imagine being without them anymore."  
The corner's of Linda's lips raised themselves a little and she nodded lightly. "It is... She... She makes me happy."  
She looked back at Kara whose smile widened. She gently nudged her shoulder. "That's all I want for you."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Though Linda had calmed down and lost the tension after her talk with Kara, she still made plans with Nia to spend the rest of the day and the night with her. Just in case.   
And not long after that decision was made, she had gone over to Nia's appartement.  
Of course she had taken once again the red blanket with her, carefully placing it on a cupboard. 

At first they just wanted to stay inside and watch some movies but since the weather was actually quite well at the moment, they decided to take a walk together. Maybe get some ice cream or another snack on the go.  
Linda seemed to be quite content walking hand in hand with Nia. The last pieces of the worry and panic she had been carrying around with her all day were slowly beginning to fall off of her and she happily swung their interwined hands a little as they made their way through the streets of National City, which made Nia smile softly.

However their walk didn't continue to stay this peaceful.   
Linda very suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Nia hadn't had the time to realise that and so the abrupt stop almost caused Nia to fall backwards because their still interwined hands pulled her back as she walked ahead.  
She managed to save herself, stumbling a little at first but then bein able to keep her balance. Not necessarily very elegant but at least she was still standing.

She didn't really have much time to consider the way she had looked at that moment anyway as the much more interesting question was why she almost fell in the first place.   
She frowned as she looked over at Linda who stood frozen in her place, eyes appearing glassy and hazy. She seemed paler than normal and like she had just fallen into a deep shock.   
It was as if Linda had seen a ghost.  
And to the blonde, it really was like she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it :)


	21. Chapter 35B

Everything had been good. Linda had slowly started to calm down from the panic she had felt earlier that day and she had just simply enjoyed being with Nia.  
That was when she had taken notice of a boy on the other side of the street though, playing football with three other kids. Most of his dark hair had been covered by a beanie.  
Linda had halted abruptly, feeling absolutely frozen into place. Her heart had started pounding heavily against her chest.

Suddenl, she couldn't think clearly anymore, she didn't take notice of her surroundings anymore. Not even Nia who was furrowing her eyebrows and asking her if she was okay.  
Then suddenly her view on the boy was disrupted by Nia's face moving in front of her. Her hands moved to rest on her cheeks, stroking over them with her thumbs.  
"Lin, what's wrong?", she asked worriedly.   
Linda hadn't even realised that tears had started streaming down her face.

She just breathed heavily and moved her head to look at what was happening behind Nia. The boy had turned around by now.  
It was just a boy.  
A random boy, who she had never seen before in her life.  
Her chest clenched together in a painful way and she couldn't surpress the sob erupting from her throat.  
Nia wrapped her into her arms and rubbed her back. "Hey, hey, it's okay.", she said softly. 

Linda didn't have it in her to respond, she rung for air as more sobs fought their way to the surface.  
Nia pulled away and placed one arm around her while resting the other hand on her shoulder and gently rubbing over it. "Come on, it's not far. Let's get you out of here.", she whispered.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Nia's appartement. She only let go with one hand to open the door, holding Linda close with the other.  
She led her to the couch. On the way there she picked up the red blanket and when they sat down, she let the leather jacket slide down Linda's arms and instead hung the blanket around the blonde's shoulders. Hoping that it would give her some sort of comfort.  
Nia took her hands into her's.   
"Lin-", she began, incredibly concerned.   
But Linda only broke out into more sobs. 

Nia instantly let go of her hands to pull her into a tight hug. Linda grasped onto her like her life depended on it and buried her face in the crook of Nia's neck as heartwrenching cries shook her trembling body. Her sobs came out so violently that she had a hard time catching a breath in between.   
She had pushed the grief and pain about Mikhail's death deep down for months, hadn't let it near her because Lex saw it as weakness. And Lex Luthor didn't appreciate weakness.  
She hadn't even realised herself how much his loss still weighed on her, how it had all bottled up inside her, just waiting to break out and to consume her. Just waiting for a moment of weakness like today when she had been vulnerable in worry for Nia. To attack and to pull her into a deep darkness.   
What she felt right now was worse than the immediate realisation of Mikhail's death upon finding his wrecked house.   
The pain was worse than when the air had been filled with kryptonite or when Lex's blast had hit her.   
She just wanted it to stop.

Nia swallowed hardly as she felt tears well up in her own eyes. This was a completely unfamiliar sight. Seeing Linda, who was always so happy and innocent, suddenly break down like this was horrible.  
She tightend her arms around Linda, trying to reassure as much as possible that she was there. That she would do anything to make her feel better.

What could have possibly done this to her? Nia tried thinking back to what had happened before Linda broke down. But there hadn't been anything out of the ordinary. Just people running errands and a few kids playing football in a park across the street. 

Nia didn't know what to do. She just held the blonde in her arms, drawing comforting circles on her back, whispering softly into her hair.   
After what seemed like an eternity, Linda's cries ebbed away and her breathing slowed down.   
She didn't make any attempts at loosening her grip around Nia though, still seeking the comforting closeness. 

Nia bit her lip, not knowing if she could dare ask what was going on. She was immensely worried.   
She swallowed down the lump forming in her throat.  
"Lin.", she whispered, stroking over her hair. "What happened?"  
Linda stayed silent for a while, only her breathing could be heard. Nia's heart beat more quickly than usual, anticipation rising inside her. She wanted to help her somehow. She couldn't even try to do that though if she didn't know what was going on. What had triggered this kind of reaction.

Nia almost suspected that Linda wouldn't start talking.   
Then she heard her voice - raspy and shaky from crying and slightly muffled since her face was still laying in the crook of Nia's neck.   
"Back in Kaznia... I saved a village boy from thieves. His name is...", Linda broke off, taking a deep breath. Nia squeezed her shoulder. "His name... was Mikhail. We... we grew close. But... but then, one day I heard him screaming and when I came to his home..."  
The tremble in Linda's voice grew stronger. 

Nia could already guess what she was trying to say and her heart ached for Linda. The only person who had been important to her back then had died.   
"His home was destroyed. With weapons from America. The only thing that was left of him was... was his football."  
Nia's breath stocked for a few seconds. His football. Her mind wandered back to the kids in the park. Now it made sense.

"I'm so sorry, Lin.", Nia said softly, as she closed her eyes and pressed a kiss onto her head. "I'm so sorry."  
Linda sniffled, cuddling into her embrace, seeking the body contact.   
Nia chewed on her lip.   
"Hey, come on.", she whispered as she untangled herself a little from the blonde. She laid down on the couch and motioned with her hands for her to come back into her arms.

Linda sniffled again before letting herself sink down onto the pillow. Nia wrapped her into her arms again and pulled her close.  
"I'm with you. You don't have to go through this on your own.", Nia mumbled.   
Linda swallowed and nodded lightly, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath. Trying her best to concentrate on Nia's heartbeat which softly pounded against her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it?


	22. Chapter 36B

After a while, the exhaustion of her mental breakdown took control over Linda and she fell asleep.   
Not too long after, Nia had dozed off too.  
Though she had woken up quite groggily and rigid at like three o'clock in the morning because of the uncomfortable position she was finding herself in, on the small space of the couch. She had tried to somehow move a little to regain a position which would enable her to fall asleep again. But she only succeeded in accidentally waking Linda up.   
They made the silent agreement of instead moving to the bed. They sleepily dragged themselves over to the bedroom where they cuddled up again and continued to have a much more peaceful sleep.

When they then finally really woke up at an acceptable time in the morning, Linda seemed to genuinely feel better. Considering the mental breakdown of the day before.  
As if a big burden had been lifted off of her, as if letting it all out had released most of the pain she had unconsciously been feeling and carrying around with her for so long.

As time moved along, Linda decided she should get back home. Nia consequently made the decision of accompanying her there.  
On their way, Nia couldn't help but glance over at her every now and then, trying to find any indication, any sign that she wasn't doing well. But the blonde seemed peaceful, content even. It was almost as if last night hadn't even happened.   
She was either building up her defenses again and burying her feelings back down inside of her or, what was also a possibility and had already been a thought of Nia's, she actually just needed to be able to really, really cry her heart out once in order to feel better.

Not much later, they had knocked on the door of the appartement on 16 Hope Street.  
Kara opened with a bright smile, greeting Nia with a friendly nod and her sister with a side hug.   
Linda smiled back, then gave the brunette a kiss on the cheek and whispered " _Do svidaniya, prekrasnyy_." [ **eng. "Bye, beautiful**.] into her ear.   
It wasn't the first time she spoke in russian to her - Nia had actually started to memorize a few words which Linda used the most often, for example _prekrasnyy_. Beautiful.

Though Linda made sure only to do it in private, when really noone else was able to eavesdrop as it was a striking attribute. An attribute which could possibly connect her to Red Daughter who didn't need to keep her russian accent hidden because the people knew that she had her origins there.  
Nia had to admit she loved it when Linda either let her accent shine though or when she switched completely to russian. It probably had the same effect on her as it had on Lena when Kara occasionally slipped into the kryptonian language as they got intimate.

But now, Nia tried shaking the thoughts away, not able to concentrate further on it. She forced up a smile as Linda turned around and stepped into the appartement.  
Kara frowned a little when she saw Nia's facial expression - watching after Linda with worried eyes, chewing on her bottom lip absent-mindly.   
"Nia, is everything alright?", she asked quietly.   
Nia's head jerked in her direction, then back at Linda who had sat down on the couch and was currently being greeted by Lena who looked up from her book with a smile. 

Nia faced Kara again.  
"Did Lin ever talk to you about Mikhail?", she whispered, hoping Linda wouldn't listen in on them. The last thing she needed was to be reminded of her mental breakdown yesterday.  
Kara raised her eyebrows. "Oh- uhm, no. Well, on her first mission, when she saved that little boy... he reminded her of him and she was... quite shaken by that. But she never talks about him. I only know about him because of a journal.", Kara replied in a hushed voice. She frowned again. "Why?"

Nia sighed deeply. So this had happened before. Even though it sounded as if her reaction that day hadn't been as extreme as it had been yesterday. Probably because she had already been quite upset because of the attack at CatCo anyways and then that sighting had simply acted as an enormous trigger, pushing up every ounce of grief and sadness which was buried within her.

Nia made a small head movement and after glancing back at her girlfriend and her sister, Kara followed her outside, closing the appartement door behind her so they could talk at least a little more privately.  
Kara crossed her arms and tilted her head. "So what's going on?"  
"She had a complete mental breakdown yesterday. Like seriously.", Nia put pressure on the word. "I've never seen anyone that... that broken before. It was horrible. She's really suffering, Kara."  
Kara's face seemed to falter, deep concern spreading across it.   
"I think letting it all out kinda helped. I feel like she's gonna be fine for now. But... I would keep a close eye on her. Make extra sure she's really alright.", Nia said quietly.  
Kara nodded, chewing on her bottom lip absent-mindly. After a few seconds, she looked back up at the brunette in front of her.

"Thank you, Nia. For telling me. I'll make sure she's alright."  
"Of course. I just... I just don't want her to have to ever experience that again."  
"I know. Me neither.", Kara replied, giving her a quick hug as a goodbye before Nia left.  
Kara went into her appartement again and walked over to the couch, trying not to show her worry too much and letting herself plop down on the couch next to Linda. She threw her arms around her twin from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder.

"What are you two doing?", she asked.  
"Lena's reading to me.", Linda said, then her eyes seemed to light up as she looked at Kara as best as she could from the angle. "It's ' _The Great Gatsby_ '!"  
Kara remembered her sister gushing about that book which she had read quite a lot back in Kaznia. Apparently it had really grown onto her.  
Kara smiled.

"Ah, I see how it is. I thought that was something you only did for me.", Kara teased her girlfriend and Lena rolled her eyes, making Kara laugh.  
"Nah, I'm just kidding. Sounds good.", she continued in a soft voice, unconsciously pulling her sister a little closer. "I'll just chime in and listen too. I wouldn't want to pass on the opportunity of hearing my girlfriend's beautiful voice."

Lena chuckled at that statement and leaned over for a quick soft kiss.  
"You suck-up.", she whispered.   
Kara grinned. "You love me for it."  
Lena let herself sink back into the pillow.  
"I can't say you're wrong.", the brunette shook her head with a quiet laugh. Then she returned her attention to the book. "Alright then, you two. Where was I?"  
"There.", Linda spoke up, pointing to the line.  
"Right.", Lena smiled and continued to read out loud to her girlfriend and her girlfriend's sister who were both listening attentively.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, accidentally pur this into Version A. Thanks for pointing that out! Now it's right ^-^


	23. Chapter 37B

It had been a few months in total since Lena and Kara had gotten together.  
And Lena had been wringing with a specific thought for a while now. She just didn't know how to address it. However she knew she wanted to finally talk about it so one day she finally pulled herself together and brought herself to do it.

"Kara, there's... there's something I wanted to ask you.", Lena said. She seemed nervous which automatically made Kara nervous too.  
"Sure. What's up?", Kara questioned, with furrowed eyebrows.  
Lena took her hands. "Let's sit down for this one."  
"Oh wow. Sounds serious.", Kara said, with a slightly distressed chuckle.  
"Kind of is.", Lena admitted with a sheepish smile.

When they had sat down, Lena fidgeted with her hands.  
"What's wrong, sunshine?"  
"It's nothing wrong, per say, it's just... I've been thinking.", Lena said, looking up into Kara's eyes. "I've been thinking, maybe you... you could move in... with me."  
Kara's eyes widened.  
"It's nothing against your appartement. You know how much I love it. It's just... not the biggest. It's more than enough for two but it does get a little... stuffy for three considering Lin also lives there. And we get along great too but we can't exactly do the same kind of things we might do if she wasn't around. Because of the superhearing, I mean. Plus, the poor girl always has to sleep on the couch when I'm sleeping over. Though she doesn't seem to mind, I still feel guilty about that, to be honest.", Lena explained her thoughts.

Kara took a deep breath.  
She was conflicted.  
She wanted to move in with Lena, of course she did. Living with her girlfriend, probably even the love of her life if she was being honest with herself, together had been something she had been dreaming about for a long time.  
But that appartement was her home, it had been for years after being passed down to her by Alex. It was special. She had so many good memories in her appartement - from spending time with her older sister to countless game nights with her friends. She started being Supergirl in this appartement - she had tried on the first versions of costumes there and Winn had looked for crimes she could stop from there.  
And she also didn't really want to leave Linda alone.  
She wouldn't want her to feel left behind or anything. Especially considering what Nia had told her about a week ago. About her mental breakdown. She had barely left her side since, or at least always made sure someone else was with her. She knew she being ridiculously overprotective but she couldn't help it.

"It's okay if you need time to think about it. It's a big step, I know that.", Lena said softly, moving her hand to Kara's face and stroking her cheek with her thumb. "There's no rush and no pressure."  
"I... I don't know, maybe I should talk to Lin because-", Kara began.  
Lena smiled understandingly. "I know how much she means to you, darling, and I know you feel the need to protect her. But she's very much capable of taking care of herself. You shouldn't feel obligated to stay with her so you can look out for her. And if you were to talk to her about this, I'm sure she would agree."

"I-", Kara wanted to argue. But Lena had a point. And Kara couldn't always be there, just in case something happened. She couldn't put her own life on hold forever.   
Kara sighed. "Yeah. I know. You're right."  
"Of course I am.", Lena grinned. "Besides, I think she might enjoy a little extra space too. She could spent the nights with Nia more often. I guess they experience the same kind of problem we have because of Yvette when they're staying at Nia's place."  
Kara pulled a face. "Lee, please don't say something like that, I don't want to imagine my twin sister having sex. In fact, I don't want to imagine anyone else except for us having sex."

Lena laughed and shook her head. "You know, if I didn't know from experience what you're like in the bedroom, I'd say you're a prude."  
Kara smirked and gently nudged her nose against Lena's. "Is that so?"  
"Yeah, the innocence is definitely just a facade.", Lena chuckled.  
Kara shrugged lightly with a laugh and slung her arm around Lena's shoulder, pulling her close.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while and the blonde thought deeply about the conversation before.  
And when she listened to her heart, she knew what she wanted. She knew what the right thing to do for her was.  
"You know, I... I would still like to talk to Lin beforehand. Just to make sure she really is okay with it. Though I'm sure you're right and she will be.", Kara said in a low voice, tracing her index finger alongside Lena's upper arm. "But as far as I'm concerned, I would love nothing more than to move in with you."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Not long after, Kara had pulled Linda aside to talk to her. She explained the situation, the offer Lena had made her.  
After she had finished talking, she fidgeted with her hands, nervous for her sister's reaction.  
For a few seconds she just stayed silent, looking at her with a tilted head.   
"And what is the problem about that?", Linda asked, apparently a little confused.

"Problem? What- what problem?"  
"You're nervous to talk about this. That means you have doubts, right? But why? You love Lena.", Linda stated.  
"No, yeah, that's right. I do. And I want to accept. It's just that- that- I don't-", Kara rambled.  
Linda had meanwhile tilted her head again. Then realisation seemed to spread across her face. As if she had shortly experienced a psychic connection and had read her mind. "You don't want to leave me alone."

Kara's head jerked up and she looked at her twin for a moment. Then she sighed and nodded.  
Linda smiled. "You don't have to worry. I'll be fine. I've lived alone before, you know that. You've been there."  
"Yeah.", Kara chuckled, thinking back to the exact copy of her appartement that had been created by her sister seemingly such a long time ago.

"You know it's strange, I- I was never really scared or worried that Alex might get hurt on missions. Because... as my big sister, she's my hero, my idol - the person I look up to, you know? Her getting hurt was never really part of the equation. And when there were times, she did get hurt, I got terrified because I would forget that she's not indestructable. That she's just... human. But everytime I'd shove that fear back down because I wouldn't be able to bare it.", Kara said, looking down at her hands. "And then... then you came along. You are literally as invulnerable as I am and yet... I can't seem to stop worrying about you or wanting to protect you. I want to be there for you, you know?"

She looked up into her sister's eyes which were watching her intensely, with so many emotions that she almost felt the need to look away again.  
"Alex once said that... that having a sister is like having a piece of her heart just... wander around in the outside world. I understood it to some extent and I could relate to it but now- I mean if we're looking at things from a biological view, you are literally a piece of me. Maybe that's why I'm so... over-protective. And I mean, I love you guys equally, no question but I feel- I feel like what we have, is just-"  
"Special.", Linda said quietly.  
"Yeah."

The corners of Linda's lips curled up as she looked down at her hands.   
After a few seconds of silence, she raised her head again and seemed to hesitate a moment before she moved her hand to interwine her fingers with Kara's.  
"It means a lot. That you there for me like you are. It's... what I always wanted.", Linda said softly. "But I can take care of myself. I've done that before and I can do it again. You don't need to hold yourself back from doing something you want so much for me."

Kara smiled, giving Linda's hand a squeeze.  
"Lena said almost the exact same thing.", she said with a sigh. She bit her lip, looking over. "You really don't mind?"  
"No, just do it. It'll make you happy.", Linda replied. "That's all I want for you."  
Kara chuckled when her twin used the same words which she had told her some time ago. When they had talked about her feelings for Nia.

She placed her arm around her shoulders.  
"You know, it's good to know though that this appartement is gonna stay in the Danvers family a little while longer. You're gonna be the third Danvers sister to own it.", she giggled and sighed, slightly nostalgic. "It's gonna be weird... not to call this home anymore. But being able to visit anytime will make the transition easier, I guess."  
Linda smiled.   
"I'm kinda curious about the future though. How long you'll end up living here. If you'll have the opportunity for something else... hey, depending on how serious it gets with you and Nia, y'all might move in together too at some point.", Kara added, with a wink, making Linda blush.   
Kara laughed and pulled her a little closer into the side hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might recognize the beginning from the chapter in version A too but this has been adjusted a lot. Anyways, hope you like it :))


	24. Chapter 38B

Linda had woken up in the middle of the night when she heard Nia whimpering quietly. As her eyes shot open, she saw the brunette tossing and turning on her side of the bed - a dream, a bad one from the looks of it.   
Linda stared in shock for a second before scooting closer and placing her hand on Nia's shoulder. She started to gently shake her. When that didn't help, she got a little more forceful, still making sure to keep her powers in check. 

Finally, Nia shot up with a start and quite the heavy breathing.   
Linda blinked a few times before asking "Are you okay?"  
Nia didn't react for a few seconds before looking at her and nodding lightly. "I- Yeah. I think."  
Linda frowned. "What did you dream?"  
Nia swallowed. "Oh, it's- it's hard to explain."  
The blonde tilted her head a little but nodded. After a few seconds of silence, she laid back down on the pillows and opened her arms.

Nia couldn't help the smile that spread over her lips. She got a little closer and let herself sink into Linda's arms, which moved to hold her the same way Nia had held her recently.  
She snuggled into her embrace, finding the needed comfort to fall back asleep.

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(Next morning, 1961 Schaffenberger Way)

Before she even opened her eyes, Lena yawned and stretched herself a little. But when she did open them, they were instantly met with the baby blue eyes of Kara who was watching her with a big smile.  
Lena smirked. "May I ask how long you have been staring at me?", she asked sleepily.   
Kara shrugged, as well as she could in the lying position, and raised her hand to let it trail along Lena's.   
"A while. Can't really say. Could have been five minutes.", she said. "Could also have been half an hour."

Lena chuckled and shook her head before scooting closer so that their noses were able to touch.   
Kara sighed happily. "I could really get used to this. Waking up next to you. Have your beautiful face be the first thing I see in the morning."  
"You suck-up.", Lena whispered, curtly placing her lips on Kara's.   
The blonde laughed quietly. "Don't deny you're loving this just as much as I do."  
"Eh.", Lena made. "Probably more."  
Kara rolled her eyes. "You're so competitive, sunshine."  
"Well, I'll gladly let you win.", Lena mumbled suggestively.  
Kara raised an eyebrow as a smirk spread across her face. "Really? Is that so?"  
Lena smiled and let out a little squeal when Kara rolled over, getting on top of her (all the while making sure she didn't crush her of course) and leaning down to kiss her.

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(Meanwhile, 16 Hope Street)

Though Linda had been awake for probably half an hour, she continued to lay still, with her eyes closed. She listened to the steady, peaceful heartbeat of Nia who was still fast asleep next to her, finding great comfort in the sound. Especially after having seen her quite agitated in the night, because of a dream she had.  
After a while, the brunette started making quiet noises, indicating she was waking up. Linda opened her eyes now, watching as Nia stretched herself.

When Nia noticed that Linda was awake as well, she smiled, rolling onto her side to look at her, face to face.   
"Morning.", she whispered contently.  
A soft smile spread across Linda's lips. " _Privet, prekrasnyy._ ", she replied. [" _Hello, beautiful._ "]  
"God, I love it when you speak russian.", Nia mumbled with a chuckle, propping herself up on one elbow and leaning forward to kiss her.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

At this point, neither of the four knew that their happy times wouldn't last much longer. Though Nia was the only one who had her suspicions but she couldn't know for sure either.  
Just a week after, Alex asked her two Supersisters if they were okay with dealing with a mission themselves.

It had been a normal mission, it was supposed to be a normal quickly solved mission. Nothing too special.  
There were a few aliens who were under attack and since aliens were involved, the DEO automatically took notice of it. That's why Alex asked if they were fine dealing with that problem by themselves in the first place.  
Nia had instantly offered to accompany them as she did with every mission recently. But since neither of the twins minded, the three superheroines made their way to the place of action.

The attackers were quickly taken care off and the aliens left, luckily mostly without injuries, though with quite the shock, after thanking them throughoutly.  
That was when it happend.  
As soon as they were gone, a big black van pulled up. As if that wasn't suspicious enough, the door slid open and five armed men jumped out, instantly attacking the three - making it probability that they had been expecting them, waiting for them even.  
They were dressed in black, including black masks. The chance was high that they belonged to the same type of group which had come into CatCo some time ago.  
Nia tensed. Was this the moment she had dreaded? Was this the moment which she had seen in her dream?

For awhile, the trio had the upper hand and it seemed like they would be beating the attackers, coming out as winners.  
Suddenly though, one of the men stood behind Linda, holding up a syringe with a green shimmering content inside. Kryptonite. He injected it into her neck and Linda's eyes instantly fluttered shut as her body became limb.  
"No!", Nia and Kara yelled simultaneously.   
Nia summoned a string of her dream energy, shooting it their way. It wrapped around Linda's torso and pulled her away from the man's grip, sending her flying straight towards Nia. Who had not kept in mind that the impact would most definitely send her to the ground.

Sure enough, she sucked in a sharp breath of air as her hip collided with the stoney sidewalk beneath her but she couldn't bring herself to care.  
She craddled the unconscious form of Linda in her arms, gulping as she realised she had apparently managed to stop the event from her dream.   
She looked up at Kara who stood several feet away and exhaled relieved as she realised her sister was safe.

Then Nia's eyes widened. "Supergirl, watch out!"  
Another of the men now stood behind Kara, holding up a similar syringe and injecting it this time into her.   
Kara gasped and tumbled but stayed upright as she had a higher tolerance for kryptonite considering she had been dealing with it for years. She raised her fist for a punch but her movements were weak and slow, the kryptonite still taken it's affect. It gave the man enough time to duck away under her fist, pull out yet another syringe and stab her again. This time succeeding in knocking her out.

Nia panicked, wanted to jump up and help but two of the men now came to attack her - probably to rip Linda away from her grasp.  
She summoned more dream energy. "One step closer and I'll blast your face off.", Nia threatened.  
She tried hard not to show conflicted she was. She couldn't take on all five of them at once, and she couldn't leave Linda alone because one of them could possibly, or very likely, take her.  
Plus, aiming would be difficult from her place on the ground.

But she tried her best, as the guys in front of her took several attempts at getting to Linda. She had successfully knocked the weapons from their hands and kept them at bay.   
However that gave the other ones the chance of grabbing Kara and dragging her along until they threw her into the van and got in.  
Nia felt herself panicking again but she couldn't do anything. Not without risking Linda getting captured as well.

One of the attacker in front of Nia clicked his tongue as the two looked at each other. Then they turned on their heels and jumped into the van as well which instantly took off.  
Nia took a shaky breath and pulled the blonde's unconscious form a little closer to her own.  
She tried calming down as much as possible before she called the first person who came to her mind. It didn't take long until she picked up and she didn't even let her say anything, just immediately stating: "Alex, we have a huge problem."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, the change here is that they got Kara now instead of Linda. But don't worry, this version will have less angst haha. Kara won't be traumatized or something.


	25. Chapter 39B

Linda slowly opened her eyes. Her body felt heavy and worn out. She frowned, looking around and quickly recognizing the DEO's medbay.  
Turning her head slightly to the side, she saw Nia sitting on a chair next to her bed. The brunette's head jerked up when she noticed the movement and a small but very relieved smile spread across her lips.  
"Hey, you're awake.", she said softly, standing up to sit down on the edge of the bed instead. She took Linda's hand into her's. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better.", Linda admitted as she shifted around on the bed to get into a more upright position. "What happened?"  
"We were attacked by these same guys who were at CatCo some time ago. And well, they had kryptonite. One of them injected you with it. You instantly lost your conciousness. I managed to free you before they could take you away though."  
Linda's eyes met her's. "You saved me."  
"I did, yeah.", Nia said quietly.  
Linda smiled contently with blushed cheeks and looked down for a second. Then she raised her head again and continued to ask with a relatively chipper voice: "Where's Kara?"

Nia's heart sank. She knew the question would come. It had only been a matter of time. She hung her head low, making Linda furrow her eyebrows.   
"Nia? Where's Kara?", she repeated, a little more pressed now.   
"I saved you but... I couldn't save her. I'm sorry, Lin. I'm so sorry. They... they took her with them."  
Linda's face fell. Her breathing picked up in speed. She shook her head. "No."  
Nia swallowed and looked up to meet her eyes which were starting to fill with tears.  
She released a shaky breath and leaned over to embrace the blonde into a hug. "It's okay, we're gonna find her. I promise. We'll get her back."

Linda sniffled and she tried to say something but she was too focused on trying to keep the tears away.  
Nia just held her in her arms for a while and only cautiously pulled away when the door to the medbay opened.  
Alex came in, taking a deep breath when she saw that Linda was awake. She rushed forward and hugged her. "Oh thank god, at least you're okay."  
There were a few seconds of silence in which Alex simply held her close, finding a slight sense of relief in knowing that at least one of her sisters was safe and sound.  
"Are there any leads yet?", Nia asked hopefully.  
Alex slowly pulled away from her hug with Linda and sadly shook her head. "Nothing. We can't track her. It's like they've just disappeared."

Another sniffle from the blonde made both Nia and Alex look at her.   
Nia immediately took her hand again, giving it a squeeze.   
Alex's heart felt heavy as she raised her hand and used her thumb to wipe away the tears which were spilling from Linda's eyes.   
"We'll find her. We'll get our sister back.", Alex said, firm and convinced.  
Linda bit her lip and nodded.

Nia fidgeted with her fingers, then looked at her girlfriend. "We thought you might want to get out of the suit and into something more comfortable, so we got you some-"  
She had stood up by now but hissed in the process and her face scrunched up into a pained grimace.  
Linda instantly frowned. "What's wrong?"  
"Nothing.", Nia brought out between gritted teeth. "It's nothing. I just-"  
Linda tilted her head. She noticed the way Nia's hand seemed to twitch towards her hip and furrowed her eyebrows. As she was on the perfect height to do so, she grabbed the rim of Nia's sweater and lifted it up enough to look beneath. Her eyes widened when she saw the deeply blue bruise covering her skin.

"You're hurt.", Linda whispered.  
Nia sighed and pulled her shirt back down. "When I got you away from those men, I fell. It's nothing serious, though. Alex took a look at it, said it's fine. It'll be gone in a few days.", Nia explained softly. She looked over at the oldest Danvers sister. "Right?"  
"Yeah.", Alex reassured and she didn't even have to lie. "It actually looks much worse than it really is."

Linda still didn't seem very content but she nodded reluctantly and got up to get the clothes which were hanging over a chair and which Nia had wanted to collect for her just moments before.  
Together they walked out of the medbay.  
Linda stayed closely by Nia's side, holding her hand and glancing over at her every few seconds. 

An agent approached them and Alex instantly asked whether there were new hints but he had to disappoint them.  
He simply talked about some other criminal activity which had occured but Alex shut him off, telling him the police would have to take care of it. They had bigger problems than burglaries and thefts.  
"Isn't there a way to find her? You found me when I had that appartement back then.", Linda stated. Apparently the hurt about her twin's disappearance had worn off and was now filled only with determination on getting her back.

"We tried but like I said, it's like they just- just vanished.", Alex replied with a frustrated tone.  
Nia shifted uncomfortably, hand moving to her hip again. Standing in one spot this long wasn't too good on the injury.   
Linda's hand moved to her lower back and she looked at her quite concerned. "You're hurting. You need to rest."  
"I'm fine.", Nia tried to assure her, swallowing and taking a deep breath. She turned back to Alex. "I'm sure there's something we haven't tried yet. Something that will help-"

Linda zoned out of the conversation when her eyes fell on Lena who stood several feet away. Her elbows rested on a table, her face buried in her hands, looking absolutely devastated.  
Linda felt her heart sink at the sight. She hadn't yet considered how Lena must have been feeling in this situation.   
She bit her lip.  
When her head turned back to her sister and girlfriend, they had stopped talking. They glanced at the Luthor as well and a shadow fell over their face. 

"I'll go to her.", Linda announced. She gave Nia a soft kiss. With almost a pleading kind of glimmer in her eyes, she whispered: "You go rest."  
Nia sighed but nodded. They curtly leaned their foreheads against each other before finally parting.  
Linda turned around and walked over. Upon arriving next to her, she seemed to hesitate, not quite knowing what to do. She cautiously raised her hand and laid it down on the other woman's shoulder.   
Lena's head jerked up and for a second hope stood in her eyes as she mistook Linda for Kara. But as soon as she noticed the absence of bangs, it was clear that it wasn't who she had hoped for.

Her eyes returned to a state of pain and worry. She simply stood in front of her for a few seconds and then, pretty unexpectantly, she threw her arms around Linda and buried her face in the crook of her neck where she let out a quiet sob.   
Linda blinked a few times, startled at the sudden reaction. But then she lifted her arms around her and pulled her close. Even if she only looked like Kara and wasn't actually her, Lena still found the needed comfort in the blonde's embrace. And Linda didn't want to deny her that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like this! ^-^


	26. Chapter 40-B

Three days.  
By now, it had been three days which had gone by since Kara had gotten captured by the group which had already attacked them before at CatCo.  
Three days had gone by without a sign or a lead of her whereabouts or kidnappers.  
Three days had gone by without any kind of information of Kara's condition or wellbeing.  
Three days of pure emotional torture for the ones who were looking for her.  
Most affected were of course Alex, Lena and Linda as her closest relations, being her sisters and her girlfriend but many others at the DEO or in their private life too were extremely worried.

Nia was having it very rough too. Not only did she feel incredibly sorry for Linda and the others and very worried for Kara's safety but she also felt guilty. She felt like she should have seen more in that dream. She had only seen Linda being in danger and had therefore only taken precautions to protect her. She hadn't considered the possibility of Kara getting captured in the process.  
And another thing which weighed down on her was the fact that Linda was barely even around so she could check up on her or try to be there for her.   
No, the blonde was instead always to be found close to Lena.

Nia had found it very sweet of her that first day where Linda went to comfort Lena. However now it seemed to take the upper hand.   
She barely saw her anymore. And if she did, it was unbearable. Like now.  
Her eyes landed on her girlfriend who was once again sitting closely next to Lena, holding her hand and talking to her while looking at her quite intensely.   
Nia had seen her look at her like that quite a lot the last three days and it took a toll on her in ways which she couldn't express.

A knot formed in her chest as she watched them, watched as Linda's hand stroked so effortlessly over Lena's cheek, brushing away stray tears.  
When she thought back to the times where Linda had tried to comfort her, it had always been with that certain amount of uncertainty, of helplessness. Linda never really seemed to feel too comfortable or secure about what she was doing since she had so little experience.  
But here with Lena, she didn't show any of that insecurity. Showing her comfort and support appeared to come naturally to her. 

It hurt Nia. It hurt her so much that she wanted to look away but she couldn't. And before she could stop herself, her legs had carried her over to them.   
"Lena, Alex wants to speak with you.", Nia heard herself say. She felt bad about lying but it was as if it happened all on it's own.   
Lena looked up and nodded, glanced at Linda, who gave her a reassuring smile. Then the Luthor got up to walk outside.

"What does Alex want to talk about with Lena?", Linda asked curiously.  
Nia crossed her arms over her chest, gripping her upper arms like she was hugging herself, and looked down. "She doesn't need to talk to her."  
Linda frowned. "But why would you say that then?"  
"Because _I_ need to talk to _you_.", Nia replied.   
"Oh. What is it?"

"You...", Nia licked her lips. "You've been distant recently. And I mean I get it, you're worried about Kara but- I don't know, I... miss you, you know? I want to be there for you. But you're not really letting me."  
Linda tilted her head. "I'm helping Lena."  
Nia couldn't stop the frustrated groan from escaping her lips. "Yeah. I know.", she said. She didn't mean for the words to come out as steep as they did.

Linda furrowed her eyebrows, looked at her quite intensely as if she was trying to read her mind or at least interpret the look on her face.  
"So that's what this is about.", Linda stated slowly. "This is about Lena."  
"It is. I need to ask you something.", Nia exclaimed. Her voice threatend to break with the next words. "Do you still like her?"  
Linda tilted her head, confusion in her eyes. Then realisation seemed to dawn on the blonde. She looked down at her feet, fumbled with the rim of her cape, and sucked in her bottom lip. She was silent for awhile and then she quietly admitted. "A little."

Nia felt like she had just been punched in the gut. She had suspected it but hearing it was on another level of pain.   
"Are you... angry at me?", Linda asked quietly, upon studying Nia's face with care.  
"Not angry. Just... that's just a lot right now.", Nia said, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples.  
Linda hung her head, fidgeting with her fingers.   
There was silence between them for a while before the blonde finally spoke up again.

"I... I still feel the emotions that Kara-", she interrupted herself when her voice cracked upon saying her sister's name. The fear for her wellbeing cutting her deep. "-has for Lena but... I think they are wearing off. It does not hurt anymore when she kisses her. Because... I would much rather kiss... you." She had come a little closer, now standing in front of Nia. She didn't dare looking up yet, her eyes still fixated on the ground. "I don't feel weird around Lena anymore because I enjoy being with you so much more. I... I don't know what exactly love feels like. The way the books and movies describe it... I think... I think I did love Lena. But not anymore. The... the description of love... it fits now so much better the way I feel about... you."

Linda finally raised her head to look into Nia's eyes.   
Nia's mouth stood open a little - in shock. "I- I... Wait, are you saying that-?"  
"I think I love you.", Linda finished for her, nodding slightly. She watched her with big puppy eyes. "Is... is that okay?"  
Even with everything that was going at the moment, Nia couldn't help but break into a bright smile. Her hands cupped Linda's face. "It's more than okay. It's- it's perfect! Because-", Nia sighed happily. "Because I think I love you too."  
Linda smiled sheepishly and Nia chuckled, pulling her close for a kiss.

However their happiness was short lived. While their lips were still on top of each other, Linda suddenly frowned and started swaying. She pulled away.  
Nia tilted her head. "Are you oka-"  
Then Linda collapsed - right into Nia's arms. The brunette let out a startled shriek, the sudden weight resting on her pulling her down.   
Linda laid in her arm as Nia used her other hand to carress her cheek.  
"Lin? Lin! Hey, wake up! What's wrong?" Nia grew more and more panicked before finally raising her voice and screaming: "Help! I need help!"

Not a minute later, Alex, Lena and two DEO agents stormed in, shocked to find the kryptonian laying unconsciously in Nia's arms as tears of panic were running down her face.   
"What happened?", Alex asked, rushing forward and letting herself fall to her knees to take a closer look at her younger sister.  
"I-I don't know! She-she just suddenly collapsed!", Nia stuttered, desperately.  
"Let's get her to the medbay.", Alex exclaimed, worry and despair clear in her eyes. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Meanwhile Linda woke up in a dark room. An old factory. At the sight of a symbol, her fists clenched. It was a symbol which she had seen before. In the form of a bomb, in the ruins of Mikhail's house. In the form of a pin on an american's jacket as she pretended to be a waitress.  
She shook her head, trying to concentrate on the fact that she was in a strange place and needed to figure out what was going on.

She squinted her eyes, confusion taking over her as she got to her feet. Why the hell exactly was she here? And how did she get here?   
She couldn't think much longer about it because then she suddenly heard voices and she jerked around. Her eyes widened. There were a few men surrounding a chair which a blonde figure was seated on. Kara.   
Even from the distance, she could see the green glow pulsing through her veins. Kryptonite.   
Linda rushed forward but when her fist was supposed to collide with one of the men's heads, her hand went right through him. She frowned and stared in shock at her hands. Then she looked back at Kara who breathed heavily, obviously in pain, but she kept a brave face.   
Linda cringed when she noticed the two needles, one in each arm, slowly and steadily letting kryptonite flow into Kara's veins. A regulator seemed to take care of the fact that the flow stopped as soon as the amount of kryptonite in her body became lethal. It was only supposed to keep her weak and defenseless.  
Her hands and feet were tied to the metal chair. 

"You know, you really are wasting your time here. I'm not talking. I won't put my sister in danger.", Kara stated, shaking her head. "Torture me all you want. I won't tell you anything, neither her name nor where you can find her."  
"That's alright.", one of the guys said.  
Kara raised an eyebrow in irritation.  
There was a moment of silence.  
"Why are you even protecting her? She's just a cheap copy of you.", one of the guys spoke up again.  
"She's not. She's my sister and she's a hero with a good heart.", Kara said through gritted teeth, fists balling.  
Linda's heart clenched at the way Kara defended her - risking her own life to protect her's.   
Kara took a deep breath, then glared at the men with raised chin. "Besides, she's gonna find me. They're all gonna find me and then you'll have a problem."  
Linda nodded fiercely, though no one there could see it.

A figure stepped out of the shadows of the room now. It seemed to be the woman who had already been leading them at the attack on Catco. Her face was still hidden behind a mask though.  
""Oh, Kara. You were always so naive. So loyal. But don't worry, we'll get our ' _krasnaya doch'_ in time. Or should I say Linda? That's the name you're going with, aren't you?"  
Linda as well as Kara froze in shock. 

"You... you know?", Kara whispered, looking quite horrified.   
The woman nodded. "Of course we do."  
"Then what do you need me for?", Kara asked with suspicion.  
"Well the optimum would be to get you to kill her first, so we'll just have to get rid of you after. Once you two are gone, it'll be easy to take out the others. Lena Luthor for example. Or your sister Alex."  
Both twins stared at her.  
Kara scoffed. "I would never hurt Lin. She's my family."  
The woman sighed. "Yeah, I was afraid you'd say that. But we'll get you to agree with time. You'll see."

The woman turned around and did a hand motion, upon which one of the men opened a small chest on a table nearby, revealing more kryptonite.   
Linda sucked in air, feeling dizzy already.   
Then suddenly everything went black and she woke up with a start in the medbay of the DEO, causing Alex, Lena and Nia to look at her in shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've got a first "I love you" here.


	27. Chapter 41B

Linda woke up with a start in the medbay of the DEO, causing Alex, Lena and Nia to look at her in shock.  
"Oh, thank god.", Nia mumbled, storming forward to hug her. Linda felt a little disoriented, taking deep breaths. Nia pulled away and placed her hands first on her shoulders before apparently reconsidering and instead moving them to her cheeks. "Are you okay? Do you know what happened?"  
Linda blinked a few times then stared at Nia. "Kara."  
"What?", Nia asked, tilting her head.  
Linda swung her legs over the edge of the bed, making Nia drop her arms. "I saw Kara."  
Now Alex and Lena got more attentive as well.   
"What do you mean? 'Saw her'? You were here the entire time.", Lena questioned, stepping closer.  
"Could be some sort of psychic connection because of the Horun-El.", Alex mumbled, frowning. She looked at her sister. "Lin, what did you see exactly?

"I... I woke up in this room and Kara was there. Those people are holding her captive. They have much more kryptonite and... and they hurt her. I- We have to help her.", Linda rambled, the speed of her talking growing faster and the heaviness of her accent growing stronger with every word. So agitated that she couldn't hold it back.   
"Alright, alright.", Alex said, trying to calm her down and asking further: "Do you have any idea where she might be? Was there any hint of where they are?"  
Linda looked at her and nodded firmly. "Amertek.", she said through gritted teeth. "An old Amertek factory."  
Hope flared in Alex' eyes as she took off. When her hand was on the doorknob, Linda licked her lips nervously. "There's something else."  
Everyone glanced at her expectantly, obviously not happy about the fact that there was supposedly something else to worry about. 

"They know who we are."  
While Lena and Nia only stared at her in shock, Alex groaned as she rubbed her temples.  
"Okay.", she said slowly. "We have to worry about that later. I'll ask J'onn whether he'd be willing to erase their memories. I'm sure he will. Your and Kara's life depends on it... Let's figure out where exactly she is first."  
Alex walked out of the medbay, the three other women trailing behind her, and towards one of the DEO agents who was sitting at a computer. "I need the location of all old abandoned ArmerTek factories."  
The agent nodded, beginning to tap on his keyboard.

Linda, Lena and Nia joined them, nervous but also growing hopeful.   
Soon enough, the agent pulled up a map - there were only three red dots visible.   
"Those are the only ones. But that one-", he pointed at one of the dots. "-is going to be demolished and rebuilt soon."  
"They probably won't risk being seen by construction workers. They won't be there. That narrows it down.", Alex said.  
"Oh, actually.", he continued. "That one is a ruin. There was an explosion, leaving it a danger of collapsing. I doubt anyone's mad enough to risk going in there. It can just be that one.", he concluded.

All four took a deep breath.  
"Alright, I'll put together and then we'll get Kara back.", Alex said, already leaving again.  
Nia looked over at Linda and cautiously took her hand into her's. This caused Linda to turn her head to her. A small smile spread across her lips and she gave Nia's hand a light squeeze.   
The brunette sighed in a relieved way and rested her chin on Linda's shoulder.   
"I should probably suit up then.", Nia mumbled.

Linda frowned and looked at her. "No, you're still hurt."  
"I'm fine, it healed quite well. And I wanna help.", Nia replied.  
Linda didn't seem to be very convinced but she sighed and nodded. In fact she was actually glad that Nia would accompany her because with every minute of knowing where Kara was but not yet being able to save her were nervewrecking. Nia had a way of calming her without words, so she could really use her closeness on the way.

A few minutes later, Alex had come back with an assembled group of agents, among them J'onn for the memory erasure.  
"Let's go.", Alex said.  
Linda nodded, marching towards the exit with the others, holding Nia's hand on the way out.  
Lena's voice made her turn back around though. "Linda?"  
The blonde looked at her expectantly.  
"Bring her home safe.", Lena said with a shaky voice.  
Linda cast her a soft smile and nodded, before following her older sister and the agents outside.

The DEO vans needed an hour to get to the destination.  
Linda nervously bobbed her leg up and down and chewed on her lip. Nia, who noticed her nerves lay bare, interwined their fingers. Linda's leg abruptly stopped wipping around and she looked up at the brunette who gave her a reassuring smile.   
Alex was getting impatient as well, but she needed to keep it together. She was the Director, she needed to give orders and she needed to be strong. She couldn't allow herself to be weak, not so close to their goal.

When they finally arrived, the agents gathered outside of the building. Alex gave silent orders by using hand motions. The agents drew their weapons, moving towards the building. Dreamer got ready to use her powers in case she needed them.  
It was dark - no lights to be seen but that could be just for diguising purposes.  
As they moved forward, they slowly started encountering a couple of individual men who were quickly knocked out with the help of the element of surprise.

"Can you hear anything?", Alex whispered to Linda.  
Linda closed her eyes, listening for her twin sister's heartbeat and finally finding it.  
"Got her.", she said as her eyes shot open again. "She's alone. There's no one else. It's safe to go."  
"Alright.", Alex stated, licking her lips, obviously trying to figure out what to do. She could see that Linda wanted to desperately get to Kara. Alex sighed. "Okay, you and Dreamer go ahead. We'll spread out and take care of the others here."  
Linda nodded and wrapped her arms around Nia's waist before she rushed away with her.

They sped through the dark corridors until they halted in front of a door. Linda listened closely again and when she had reassured herself that this was the right one, she nodded at Nia and kicked the door in. They stepped into the dark lit room and looked around.  
"Lin?", a voice quietly asked from the one end of the room.  
Linda whipped around and it seemed like a huge weight lifted off of her chest when she saw her twin beaming at her.  
"I knew you'd guys find me!", Kara exclaimed.

The two took fast steps forward.  
Linda had to concentrate very hard to not let the affect of the kryptonite influence her too intensely, though she was starting to feel dizzy already. The only thing keeping her on her feet was probably the determination of helping her sister.  
"We're gonna get you out of here.", Nia said with a smile.  
"No, you won't.", a voice behind them said. "But thanks for coming over. That makes things a lot easier for us."

Linda and Nia turned around very quickly and startled.  
A man dressed completely in black watched them from the door's entrance, his mask hiding his face. He was throwing a small grenate, which was glowing lightly green from within, up and down in his hand like a ball.  
"I'll handle him. You get her free.", Nia said simply, standing up and summoning her dream powers.

While Nia went to attack the guy, Linda turned back to her sister and took the needles out of her wrists. Kara pulled a face but remained silent. As she had gotten them out, Linda threw the whole application into the corner of the room, to get the kryptonite as far away from them as possible in this small space.  
She also untied the chains around her feet, while looking over her shoulder just in time to see the attacker fall to the floor, unconscious.  
Nia pulled off the mask and all of them frowned.  
"Otis Graves?", they said simultaneously.  
"Will that guy ever stay dead?", Kara groaned, shaking her head, obviously very annoyed.

While Nia began to tie Otis Graves up, Linda helped Kara stand up. As soon as she was on her feet, Linda couldn't hold herself back anymore and threw her arms around her.  
"I was so scared.", she whispered into her shoulder.  
Kara smiled as she wrapped her own arms around her. "It's okay, Lin, I'm fine. You found me."

Nia stayed at the doorway, not wanting to interrupt the sisterly reunion.  
After a few seconds had passed, Linda finally felt ready to pull away.   
She held onto Kara's waist to give her stability and to keep her upright while Kara's arm hung around her shoulders.  
Linda motioned for Nia to come over to which the brunette complied. She held onto her as well and then she shot out of the room with her superspeed, towards the other DEO agents.

In a mere few seconds, she had found them again.  
Alex turned around faster than a bullet when she heard and felt the gush of win behind her. Relief washed over her face and she moved closer quickly to give Kara a gentle hug, as best as she could while the latter still depended on the support of her twin.  
"Hey.", Alex whispered.  
"Hi.", Kara smiled.  
"How are you? Are you hurt very badly?", Alex asked, stepping backwards to take a look at her and apparently try to scan her body for injuries.   
"No, I'm fine. Well except for the kryptonite that's still in my system. I think I could really use some yellow sunlight lamps."

Alex nodded. "Red, can you take her to the DEO? I'm gonna call Lena to let her know so she can prepare them already. We're gonna take care of the bastards who did this in the meantime."  
"Nia did that for one of them at least. Guess who? Otis Graves. He's tied up back there. I'd appreciate if we finally locked him up or something. That guy and his countless lives are really going on my nerves.", Kara exclaimed.

Not a second later, Kara had been lifted up into bridal style by Linda who then shot out of the building and across the sky, back to National City.  
When Linda landed at the entrance of the DEO, Lena already waited for them.  
She was pacing back and forth, looking up when she heard the landing.   
Linda gently put Kara back down on her feet and helped her move forward so that she could meet Lena halfway.

When the Luthor was close enough, Linda let go of her sister who took the last steps alone before finally closing the distance and almost stumbling into Lena's arms.  
Lena clung onto her for dear life.   
It took several minutes before they finally let go of each other.  
Lena and Linda both supported her during the walk to the medbay where she could lay down under the yellow sunlight lamps.   
Linda pulled over two chairs for them to sit down next to her.   
Kara looked from her twin to her girlfriend and smiled brightly. "It's good to be back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it :)


	28. Chapter 42B

After several hours, the others all finally came back into the DEO, returning from the place of action.  
Alex didn't waste any time. She just left the agents standing and marched straight towards the medbay to see how her little sister was doing.  
She stopped only when she realised that Nia wasn't following her.  
The younger woman wasn't sure whether she should go alone as this should probably stay a family matter. And she wasn't exactly family, though she was dating Linda.  
But Alex turned her head and motioned with her hand for her to follow. Nia instantly smiled and complied, not needing to get the message twice.

When they came into the room of the medbay, Alex was relieved to see Kara back to her full strength, sitting upright, talking with Linda and Lena - and thank god, no more traces of Kryptonite under her skin.  
"Alex, hey.", Kara smiled as she noticed her.  
The oldest Danvers sister returned the gesture before coming closer and wrapping her into a tight hug.  
"Hi.", she said softly. "How are you feeling?"  
"I'm fine. Just happy to be back.", Kara answered.

Nia had meanwhile stepped closer too, quite awkwardly.   
Linda turned her head when she realised that she was in the room. Her face lit up which made Nia smile.   
The blonde lightly raised her arms, indicating for her to come closer which Nia did. As soon as she arrived next to her, Linda had slung her arms around her waist and pulled her down into her lap where she hugged her and rested her chin on her shoulder. She appeared very content. 

"Hey, did you catch those guys? Did J'onn wipe their minds? What about that leader, the woman? Was she there and did you get her?", Kara bombarded her older sister with question as soon as they had pulled away.  
Alex raised her arms to slow the blonde down. Then she got ready to answer.  
"We did catch them. We're pretty sure we got all of them. We just have to hope that there is no one else who had the luck of not being there at the time. J'onn did wipe all of their minds, so your secret identities should be safe again. And yes to that last one too. We found the woman. Demasked her... You'll never guess who.", Alex exclaimed, crossing her arms and letting her eyes glide over the three of them who were all watching her expectantly.

"Well?", Kara asked impatiently.  
"Eve Teschmacher.", Alex replied.  
Lena let out a scoff. So not only did Eve betray her, she basically started a terrorist group to take out the kryptonian superheroes. Great.  
Linda pulled a face at the mention of Eve and thought back to the time where she had been under Lex's wrath. "I never liked her."  
Kara's jaw had dropped upon the revelation. "What does she want?"  
"Revenge for imprisoning her one true love Lex Luthor, I guess.", Alex responded and gagged. "Can't believe I just managed to say that without throwing up."

"And those other guys? How did she manage to bring them under her control? Did anyone talk?", Lena wanted to know.  
"They're some remaining Children of Liberty.", Alex responded.  
Kara groaned at the mention of the organisation which had caused enough problems more than once already before. However she pulled herself together to let Alex continue.  
"They jumped at the opportunity of bringing down the two main superheroines of the city. Eve convinced them by promising to help them erase the rest of the superhero aliens like Dreamer after. Since there would be no one left who would be able to protect the aliens, killing the rest of them would practically be a piece of cake."

"Disgusting.", Kara commented, pulling a face. She couldn't understand why there was such a hatred for aliens in some people's minds. Sure, there were some criminal aliens. But there were criminal humans too. That didn't cause her to hate the entire human race... because she knew there were many good hearted people as well. Just like there were many good hearted aliens.  
"It is.", Alex agreed, with crossed arms.  
Linda stared at the floor with a frown. Nia noticed that the situation upset her and softly kissed her on her temple which did manage to coax a small smile out of Linda.

"Well, at least Eve is now reunited with Lex. They have cells next to each other. Though he didn't look too happy about it.", Alex said.  
Lena chuckled darkly. "The only person he loves is himself. I told her that a long time ago but she wouldn't listen."  
Kara nodded absent-mindly.

They all stayed quiet for a while.  
"Well, I don't know about you but I'm hungry. Wanna go eat something?", Alex announced, breaking the silence.  
"Oh yes, please, I'm starving.", Kara quickly added.  
Lena chuckled and nodded. "I could use something too."  
Linda nodded.  
They all got to their feet, walking to the door.  
And after they had all changed into more comfortable clothes, they went to Noonan's for some much needed relaxing time.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When they had finished eating, Lena and Kara left to go home as the two needed some much needed alone time after all that had been going on.  
They made a settlement though that the three Danvers sisters would have a sister night all to themselves the next day though since they had been missing out a lot too recently.   
And so they did do that the next day.   
They ordered some junkfood and watched some movies but at one point they got serious, somehow ending up talking about the imprisonment of the three days which Kara had been under.

Kara talked about what they had done to her - injecting kryptonite into her to the point where she could barely even breathe anymore. Only shutting the flow down when the amount in her system became too lethal. But as soon as she regained just the tiniest bit of strength, they turned it on again.   
"I know Eve went a little crazy over Lex and... did some horrible things, including shooting James but that she's capable of such torture... I wouldn't have ever believed that.", Alex admitted.

"I think it's not entirely her fault. She just snapped when Lex was captured. He manipulated her through and through, used her attraction to him as leverage...", Kara replied, shrugging slightly.  
Alex chuckled. "The fact that you're still able to defend her after that is a mystery to me."  
Kara laughed quietly.   
Then she looked at her other sister. "Hey, Lin, you've been awfully quiet. Don't you have anything to add about her actions in Kaznia or something?", she grinned. But the smile was wiped off her face when Linda looked up - tears very clearly filling up her eyes, ready to fall any second now.  
"What's wrong?", Kara asked, growing worried.

"All that pain you went through, I-", Linda choked on the words.   
Kara scooted closer, taking her hand and smiling softly. "Lin, it's fine. I've been through worse. You found me. Saved me. I'm fine."  
Linda looked at her fingers, the first tear rolling down her cheek. "It should have been me."  
Kara frowned. "No, hey, don't say that."  
She wrapped her arms around her from the side, resting her head on her shoulder. 

Alex got up from her place on the armchair and sat down on Linda's other side instead, mimicking her younger sister's hug.  
"You found me, okay? You saved me. It's all good.", Kara whispered, raising one arm to brush some hair out of her twin's face. In an attempt to distract her, she asked: "Hey, how did you even do that? Find me?"  
Linda sniffled. "I- I saw you."  
Kara frowned, looking at Alex for assistance.   
"We think you two might have some sort of psychic connection due to the Horun-El. So that the immense distress you were in somehow activated some sort of vision that let her see you. Kind of like you saw Sam once in the valley."

Kara's eyes widened. "Well, hey, that's pretty cool. We're connected. You reckon if we practice, we can learn to read each other's mind?"  
She nudged her twin's shoulder and Linda brought up a small chuckle as she looked up.  
Alex laughed too. "That would be dope but I doubt that's possible unfortunately. It seems to be triggered by incomprehendable stress. Plus, you couldn't hear or see her when she was there."  
"Shoot.", Kara grinned. "Well, it was worth the shot."  
"Hey, we can always try it out.", Alex replied with a laugh and raised arms.  
For a while, they sat in comfortable silence.   
"How about we watch another movie to calm down a bit? Maybe "The Great Gatsby"?", Kara asked, knowing that Linda wouldn't be able to resist that offer.  
And as assumed, her twin's smile grew wider and she nodded.   
"Okay, then.", Kara grinned, rubbing over her arm one last time before getting up to put the movie on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy it ^-^


	29. Chapter 43B

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the alternate baking chapter! The beginning's completely new (I took a lot of inspo from Nicole's baking live stream if you've seen that haha) but the second part is basically just the other one with a few tweaks.

"Alright, let's do this!", Nia exclaimed as she punched her fist into her flat hand.   
Linda, who was watching her very attentively, nodded.  
Neither of them even remembered how they had gotten the idea of baking a cake but here they were. In the kitchen, ready to take on the challenge.

Not long after though, while putting together all the needed ingredients, Nia spoke up.  
"You know, I don't wanna like scare you off but the last time I tried to make frosting, I made a substance harder than steel - Hey, so harder than you!", she laughed a little at her own Girl of Steel joke. Then she looked up again and with an eyebrow raised in amusement she added. "So this is gonna be great."  
Linda giggled.

They started to get to work. As Linda had obviously never baked before, and it was very likely that she had the same kind of skills as Kara did which were not good, Nia gave her little tasks which were easily managable.   
Linda was very concentrated but she looked up when she heard Nia suddenly exclaim: "Oh god. Instant regret. Instant, instant regret. Oh my god."  
Linda looked over, seeing her struggle to keep mixing the mixture after adding another ingredient.   
The blonde smiled, very enamoured by the sight. She took the two steps, to stand behind her wrap her arms around Nia's waist. With her chin on her shoulder, she asked: "Need help?"

"Yes please.", Nia chuckled and gave her the tool. Linda had obviously a much easier time mixing it as she had much more strength.   
After only a few seconds, it was starting to come together and loosening up.  
"Sometimes I envy your powers.", Nia grinned. She gave Linda a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, sun puppy."  
Linda nodded with a big smile.

They continued their work. Then they came to the next obstacle.   
Nia rested her hands on the counter. "You know, I feel really un-not-comfortable about melting this chocolate.", she said. "Because as I said last time I tried to make frosting, I made a substance harder than steel. And I ruined that pot."  
Yet they still attempted to do it - and at first it seemed to work out. But then it didn't. 

Nia sucked in her bottom lip as they both stared at the mess. Or well, Nia stared at the mess. Linda was meanwhile studying her girlfriend's face.  
"I don't- This should have-", Nia sighed. "I don't understand what went wrong there, I really don't but-", she sighed once more. "Alright, this calls for Plan L."  
Linda tilted her head. "What's Plan L?"  
"Lena.", Nia responded simply. "Apparently the only Superfriend blessed with the power of being able to bake a cake."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kara pressed a kiss to Lena's temple and unwrapped herself from her when they heard the knock on the door.  
As she opened it, she was met with her twin and her twin's girlfriend, both looking very serious.  
"Hey, guys, what's up?"  
"We have an emergency.", Nia responded. "An emergency which requires Lena's assistance. More importantly Lena's baking skills."  
Kara raised an eyebrow. "What?"  
"We tried to make a cake.", Linda replied. "It didn't work."  
"Oh.", Kara started to laugh. She stepped to the side to let them in.   
As they entered, Lena was already coming towards them and letting her knuckles crack. "I heard everything. You came to the right person. Let's do it."

Some time later, she had been giving each of them orders of what to do. Now that they were four, the work was moving along much faster and much more smooth.

At some point though, Lena looked down when some of the frosting got on her finger. For a second, she seemed to think. She glanced over at Kara who was staring down at the food scale and weighing out one of the needed ingredients, the tip of her tongue sticking out in concentration.   
Without second guessing, Lena moved her finger to Kara's face and wiped the frosting on her nose.  
Kara blinked in irritation and slowly turned her head.   
"Wow.", she said dryly. 

All the other three were trying to stiffle their laughter by hiding their mouth behind their hand.   
Kara just stared for a moment, then with a quick swift motion she had grabbed a handful of flour and blew it off of her hand, straight into Lena's face.   
The brunette looked at her with wide eyes - now quite white around the nose. 

"Oh, it's on.", she said with a smirk.   
"Food fight!", Kara yelled, squealing when Lena dipped her finger into the frosting again and came for her.  
She ran once around the kitchen and just when Lena was chasing her into a corner and was already lifting her finger, Kara grabbed Linda by the shoulders and pulled her in front of her, ducking down behind her.  
Lena's finger met Linda's face, leaving a trail of frosting over her lip, making it look like she had a moustache.

For a fleeting moment, they all just stood in silence.  
Nia pressed her lips together like she was trying to hold something back but she finally seemed to crack. "Oh no, we're straight now."  
All of them broke out into laughter and now they all joined in on the little food fight.  
After a good few minutes, they finally came to a halt.   
Lena looked around the kitchen, with amusement. "So much for baking. There's more ingredients on the floor than on the counter. We'll have to clean that up first before we can go on."

The twins looked at each other and then both of them rushed through the kitchen. Just two seconds later, they were standing back in their place. The floor was as clean as ever.  
Lena chuckled. "It's really useful to have girlfriend a with superspeed, I'll admit that."  
"I second that.", Nia agreed.  
Kara and Linda grinned widely.   
"Alright then. Let's finish this cake."

They went back to the counter, to continue their work. They were calm enough that it was barely believable they had just been running around the kitchen and throwing food at each other like middle schoolers a few minutes ago. Only the occasional little giggle reminded of this fun little incident.

Lena looked down at the water bath she had prepared to melt the chocolate they needed. She pursed her lips. After a moment she looked to her left.  
"Kara, love, would you mind?", Lena asked, making a hand gesture at the water bath.   
Kara nodded and turned to the pot, slightly slid her glasses down her nose and used her heat vision on the water. Within a few mere seconds, the water had started boiling and the chocolate in the pot above it had melted to the fullest.   
Lena smiled, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, darling."  
Kara smiled proudly.

"We're almost done.", Lena added and they all watched as the Luthor made a few finishing touches before finally placing the form into the oven. Lena straightened herself with a content sigh. "And now we wait."  
The Danvers twins groaned, both not being very patient in these terms.  
Lena and Nia simultaneously rolled their eyes with a smirk and stepped forward, each taking their respective girlfriend's hands and pulling them to the living room where they plopped down on the couch. 

Though time did pass quite quickly, the two blondes still rushed to the kitchen in a heartbeat, the second Lena announced that it was time to get the cake out.   
She almost got a heart attack when Kara simply reached in and pulled the form out. She forgot for a split second that her girlfriend was indestructable.  
Kara's and Linda's mouth formed an 'o'-shape as they checked the baked good out. And Nia quickly made her way over as well.  
Lena walked over with a smirk. "Admiring your first successful cake?", she teased.   
While Nia blushed and Linda just smiled sheepishly, Kara replied with a shrug. "Oh, honestly, not so much. With you, anything's possible. Even me, or well us-", she made a hand gesture towards Nia, Linda and herself. "-baking something without burning the house down."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've enjoyed it! :)


	30. Chapter 44B

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the alternate karaoke chapter.  
> The first part's basically the exact same except for one name switch from Lena to Nia but the second half is different! ^-^  
> Hope you'll enjoy it!

"What do I do?", Linda asked with wide eyes. Kind of helpless, almost a little scared.   
Kara chuckled. "Don't worry. It's easy. You just sing. And have fun, that's important too."  
"Everyone's survived karaoke night up to this point, so there's no need to be nervous.", Alex chimed in.   
Each of them held one of her hands as they dragged her forward to the stage of the bar.

The Superfriends had all made the plan of going to karaoke night together. It had been way too long since that they had done karaoke night anyway. They hadn't even introduced Linda to it yet and she had been with them for about a year now!The opportunity just hadn't really ever arrived. So they definitely needed to catch up on that.

And after watching quite a few of the Superfriends and some random strangers too sing, the Danvers sisters decided it was time to get up there as a trio.  
Alex had already sung a duet with Kelly before which had ended abruptly as they forgot to watch the lyrics on screen - being too engulfed in looking at each other and breaking out into small fits of giggles every now and then.   
Kara would have sung a duet with Lena but Lena was very adamant about never ever singing and so she ended up singing alone on stage, but grinning brightly as she loudly dedicated the song to her girlfriend, making Lena blush a bright pink. Especially when she started singing this incredibly sweet song. 

However when she started jumping around at the upbeat part of the song and danced around the stage, looking completely and utterly ridiculous but also so goddamn adorable, Lena laughed out loud and shook her head.

[ <https://youtu.be/SL8VCJsHI4A> ]

" _You would never sleep alone_  
 _I love you long after you're gone_  
 _For you, for you_  
 _Baby I'm not moving on_  
 _I love you long after you're gone_  
 _For you, for you_  
 _You would never sleep alone_  
 _I love you long, long after you're gone_ ", Kara finished the song at last, a bright grin on her face.

She returned to her seat next to Lena's other side and was greeted with a chuckle and a deep kiss.   
Kara's grin only widened.   
They had watched a few more singers before Kara had excitedly suggested that the three Danvers sisters should sing together.  
Alex had been on board without a second guess and Linda had been more or less forced to accept as both of them had jumped to their feet and grabbed her hands, pulling her with them.

So now they made their way up. While Kara went to choose the song, Alex stayed at Linda's side.   
"All you gotta do is read the lyrics. The words appear right there on the screen.", Alex explained, pointing at said screen. "We'll give you a sign whenever it's your turn. And we'll sing the chorus together anyway so no worries."  
Linda swallowed but nodded. 

Then Kara joined them again with a bright smile.   
When the music started, Linda did grow a little nervous, especially looking at all these faces staring back at her.   
Then her eyes fell on Nia though who cast her a warm smile and gave a thumbs up.  
Most of the tension fell off of her and she returned the smile.

[ <https://youtu.be/jYS334xzYy8> ]

Kara began with the first verses.   
_"I tried on my own, I thought I'd get there_  
 _Around and round, but I was only getting nowhere_ "  
Alex took over for the next ones.  
" _Then you came along and gave me something_  
 _Something that I could believe in, trust in_ "  
Linda's eyes widened a bit when Alex nudged her into the side. The sign that was supposed to tell her it was her turn. She brought the microphone to her lips, eyes fixated on the screen. She had sung with her sisters or Nia before but never with a microphone. It felt weird. And she had to concentrate not only on getting the words right but on keeping her accent from shining through.   
She was rather quiet when she sang the next verse.  
" _And I won't go back again_ "

However then the chorus arrived and as Alex had promised before, they both chimed in for that one. And after a few more seconds, Linda dared letting her voice grow a little louder.  
" _As long as I have you_  
 _I can live like there's nothing left to lose_  
 _Unbreak every fracture in my heart_ "  
Linda couldn't help but swallow at this part. Considering the fact that her sister, both her sisters, and her friends, that Lena, had actually put her broken parts back together. Several times. After getting free of Lex, after the tragic events which occured some time ago. They had always been there for her, accepted her as their own. And they continued to do that.

Kara and Alex both seemed to notice that this song touched Linda in a very meaningful way and they smiled widely as they both slung their arms around her shoulders, continueing to sing.  
" _Nothing in this world could ever tear this love apart_  
 _They say you gotta take the good with the bad_  
 _I'll take it all as long as I have_  
 _You_."

With each verse after that it got easier for Linda to enjoy herself. To realise that it wasn't as embarrassing or awkward to stand in front of a crowd of people as she had imagined. Or well at least that was because of her sisters, standing by her side.   
She really didn't fear anything when they were there. She would be fine as long as she had them.

When the song ended, they made their way to go back from the stage but Linda abruptly stopped as a thought struck her mind.   
She bit her lip, then turned on her heel and walked back.  
Kara and Alex came to a halt too when they noticed their sister wasn't behind them.   
"Lin- oh okay.", Kara said as she saw her walking back to the center of the stage after choosing a song.   
Alex shook her head with a smirk. "First, she was terrified to sing at all and now she's doing it alone. Fast improvement."  
"Yeah.", Kara chuckled. With a movement, she told Alex that they should move back to their seats which they did.

[ <https://youtu.be/bTNNWAfjFGU> ]

Linda stared into the crowd once more as she started singing and this time she couldn't find the comfort of her sisters beside her. She could only look at them, at her friends and at Nia who were all down there while she was up on the stage. Slowly starting to regret doing this at all. But she wanted to. She wanted to do this. She needed to find a way to thank them, for being there for her, for putting her back together, for loving her.   
She didn't even really know herself who she meant. Her sisters or Nia. Probably both. Yeah, definitely both. 

" _When I look at you, I see forgiveness_  
 _I see the truth_  
 _You love me for who I am_  
 _Like the stars hold the moon_  
 _Right there where they belong_  
 _And I know I'm not alone_

 _Yeah, when my world is falling apart_  
 _When there's no light to break up the dark_  
 _That's when I, I_  
 _I look at you_ "

But she knew for certain that the next part was all Nia. It was a hundred percent Nia.  
And it was obvious that the brunette knew it too because she smiled with a blush as Linda's eyes locked with her's.  
" _You appear just like a dream to me_  
 _Just like Kaleidoscope colors that_  
 _Cover me, all I need_  
 _Every breath that I breathe_  
 _Don't you know you're beautiful?_ "

Linda finished the song with a shy smile and deeply red cheeks as it seemed to return to her that she had just sung that whole thing on her own in front of complete strangers.   
She quickly returned to the table.  
Nia greeted her with a bright smile. "That was amazing, Lin."   
"Really was.", Kara agreed, gently nudging her shoulder.   
Linda smiled sheepishly, looking down at the table.

They all stayed a while longer together at the bar, simply talking and enjoying themselves.   
At one point, Nia's head came to rest on Linda's shoulder and when the blonde looked down, she realised that she had fallen asleep. Her mouth formed an 'o'-shape and she looked up to seek guidance from Kara who just chuckled.   
As did almost everyone else amongst the Superfriends.   
"I think you might want to take her home.", Lena grinned.  
Linda nodded and slowly got up, making sure that Nia didn't fall over. After a few seconds, she had lifted her onto her back. She would've taken her into her arms but she figured that a bridal-style carry would draw way more unwanted attention to them than a piggyback ride. 

So she carried her out of the bar and as it wasn't too far to her appartement, she simply walked there.   
And not long after she had arrived at the destination. She took a look around to make sure no one was around, held on tighter to Nia's legs and carefully levitated upwards until she was able to glide in through the window.   
She brought her over into the bedroom and gently laid her down on the bed. Then she looked at her and frowned. Linda didn't want to let her sleep fully clothed. She swallowed, hoping the following wouldn't wake her and used her superspeed to exchange her clothes for a pair of pajamas. Nia seemed to still be fast asleep. Linda smiled proudly and took the blanket at the end of the bed to tuck Nia in.   
She was just about to turn around when Nia mumbled a still half-asleep "You coming too?"  
Linda blinked and blushed a little. Within seconds she had changed into her own pajamas and crawled into bed next to her. After a moment's hesitation, she slung her arm around Nia's waist and pulled her close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it!!


	31. Chapter 45B

It was already pretty late when Linda decided to try to sleep. She had tried reading but she couldn't really concentrate enough.   
Though she had already spent quite a few nights alone in the appartement, it was still strange at times. Most of the time, Nia was sleeping over or she was sleeping over at Nia's.   
It always calmed Linda to hear her heartbeat next to her's.  
But tonight, her roommate Yvette had convinced her to go party together, mainly to meet her boyfriend, and Nia had, more reluctantly than fully convinced, agreed.

Linda stared at the dark ceiling and bit her lip. Well, might as well see and listen if she would be able to find Nia's heartbeat across the city. That seemed like the only solution of finding enough comfort to fall asleep right now.   
However, while she did find her heartbeat, it didn't really bring her the comfort she wished for.   
Linda frowned. It didn't sound... normal. It sounded heavier and faster than it should.  
She sat up again and listened closer. She could hear another heartbeat with her - assumably Yvette's - and, much to her dismay, quiet crying.   
Without giving it a second thought, she had jumped out of her bed, changed into her suit and shot out of the appartement. 

A few seconds later she landed next to a night club. Sure enough, Nia and Yvette were there. Nia was holding her roommate close as she cried.   
Linda blinked and shook the immediate shock off.  
"I heard pain. What happened?", Linda exclaimed, taking a few steps closer and kneeling down next to them.  
Nia looked at her and there was so much hurt and hopelessness in her eyes that Linda almost flinched.   
The brunette silently gave her a piece of paper.   
Linda frowned, glancing at her again and then took the paper to read it. She only scanned it but reading words such as "The world doesn't want a trans superhero" and "I'll keep attacking people like you" was enough to make her clench her fists, crinkling the paper.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Linda watched as Nia accompanied the officer out of the appartement. She listened up when she heard her twin sister's voice.  
Seconds later, Kara stormed in, rambling, clearly distressed. "Are you okay? Is... is Yvette-?"  
"She isn't. She's not just hurt and humiliated, she's heartbroken. She thought this guy really liked her. And he was just targeting her because she was trans. He was trying to use her to get to Dreamer.", Nia replied bitterly.   
Linda, who was still seated on the couch, closed her eyes shortly as she felt the anger of last night resurface in her. She had wanted nothing more than to rush off and find that guy, make him suffer for what he had done. But with nothing more than Yvette's words to describe him, she wouldn't have been able to find or recognize him. Besides, she really hadn't wanted to leave Nia, or her roommate, alone.   
She had only done it for a few seconds after accompanying them back home. Red Daughter had left them then, only to have Linda show up at their footstep soon after.

Kara looked appalled at Nia's words. "What did he want with Dreamer?"  
Nia explained with a strained voice what was going on - that he wanted her to stop being a superhero, and to achieve this goal went after other trans people.  
Kara tried to convince her that the police would do justice in this case but Nia countered everytime. Tried showing her how this was a daily threat to people in her community, that the guy had to be stopped and that she would not sit back and watch.  
Linda looked meanwhile back and forth between her sister and her girlfriend. She had stood up by now, slowly making her way over, not sure how or if she should bring herself into this conversation. 

At last, Nia reluctantly agreed to Kara's request. That she would wait a few more hours, give them some time to catch the guy and bring him behind bars. But if they didn't, she would do it her way.  
Kara was obviously not completely happy about this compromise but she also realised it was all she could accomplish at the moment. She excused herself soon after and left, to start the search.  
Only Nia and Linda were left in the room now. There were a few seconds of silence between them until Nia spoke up.

"I guess you agree with Kara?", she said bitterly, her back still to Linda.  
"Not really. Kara protects this man but he deserves punishment. It's not her fault, it's just the way she is. She wants to do things harmlessly and that's admirable. But I will not be her.", Linda stated. "I will follow you."  
Nia turned around to look at her.  
"Maybe she's right and they find him.", Linda added, slowly coming a few steps closer. "But if they don't, I will do whatever you need me to. I want you to be happy again."  
Nia swallowed, shortly looking down and nodding before closing the distance to hug Linda.  
"Thank you.", she whispered into her shoulder.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nia looked up from the time, glancing over at Linda who fumbled with the edge of her sweater as she came closer and gave her a reassuring nod.   
"Sorry, Kara, you had your chance.", Nia whispered as she uploaded her profile to the website. "Time to do this m- our way."  
Linda laid a hand on her's and gave it a slight squeeze. She didn't know whether there was anything she should say right now. She just hoped that their plan would work. It may have only been a day but she wanted to see Nia smile again.  
And not much later, they actually got a reply. A reply to meet the man who had attacked Yvette, who had made it his mission to bring Dreamer down.   
Now, they would be the ones to bring him down.

Later that night, Linda watched from the air as Nia surprised him by jumping onto his car. As she confronted him. She almost wanted to intervene when the man pulled out a knife but she knew Nia could handle it. And she did. With a good punch, she sent him to the ground. He struggled to get up and took off to run away. Only then Linda shot down, landing in front of him, so abruptly that he ran against her and stumbled. The blonde grabbed him by the collar and sent him flying backwards. Nia's dream energy caught him by the neck in mid-air and brutally dragged him back to the ground.

If Nia wasn't so filled with rage and hate at the moment, she would have laughed when he started talking about "tricking dudes".  
In this case though, Linda jumped in with a snarky reply as she crossed her arms. "Wouldn't be so sure of that."  
However the situation soon changed abruptly when Kara landed just a few feet away, calling out to them. "Dreamer, Red Daughter, don't!"  
And though they tried to convince her that this was the best solution, Kara didn't back away. She tried to appeal to Nia's consciousness, explaining how this would do nothing except transfer his darkness onto her. How they had to stay true to their moral, despite how hard it was and despite how he had acted. How she wasn't alone in this fight.   
Finally Nia caved in. Linda had only been able to watch the whole scene silently. She hadn't understood how Kara could remain so calm about it. Then again, to Kara, Nia was a friend. To Linda, Nia was her everything.   
She opened and closed her mouth a few times but once more nothing seemed to come out.

Linda stared as Nia dragged him away and wanted to take off after her but Kara held her back. A sad, sympathetic smile on her lips.   
"I think it's better if she does this alone. It's gonna be good for her. To be the one to hand him over.", she said softly.  
Linda didn't like it but she understood what Kara meant, so she nodded reluctantly.   
The twins simply stood in silence for a while until Linda flew back home and changed back into her casual clothes. She just sat down on the couch, not being able to stand not doing anything. 

She had tried reading again, had tried watching some TV but nothing brought her peace. She nervously paced along the appartement.  
Then she suddenly got a message on her phone. She frowned and went over to check it. It was from Kara.   
" _Catco ASAP. It's Nia_."  
Linda felt her heart sink and without even getting her suit on, she had sped out of her appartement and towards the media empire.   
When the building came into her sight, she started scanning it for her sister and Nia but she didn't need to search long.   
She sped up her flight and finally landed on the balcony, taking quick steps towards the two.  
Kara had her arms around Nia's shoulders. The brunette was sobbing heavily. 

Linda halted next to her, eyes wide and swallowing hardly upon the sight in front of her. She raised her hand, which was shaking lightly, to place it on her girlfriend's shoulder.  
Nia looked up at her with red eyes. She sniffled and without any sort of warning threw her arms around her, burying her face in the crook of her neck as she continued to cry.   
Linda stood in shock for a second before lifting her own arms around her and holding her tightly. She looked over Nia's shoulder at her sister for support.   
Kara tried drawing comforting circles on Nia's back.   
After a while though, she excused herself quietly as she was pretty sure that this was a case which required only Linda's presence.   
Even though the latter was entirely overwhelmed with the situation. She felt, just as she did so many times before that day, like she should say something, anything. But she didn't know what. So she only pulled her a bit closer, protectively.   
Linda subconsciously clenched her jaw as she rubbed her hand over Nia's back and stared ahead. She didn't care what Kara said. The man who did this had to pay. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, sorry about making it sad again. I'm a sucker for pain. And for hurt/comfort fics, so bare with me haha.


	32. Chapter 46B

It had taken quite some time until Nia had calmed down, though Linda still didn't dare let go of her for around another ten minutes but Nia seemed to welcome that.  
When the blonde was finally sure that she could let go without fearing that Nia would instantly fall apart, she bit her lip. Only glancing up at her every few seconds, not really able to hold eye contact.  
At some point, the brunette had announced quietly that she'd like to go home. Linda had nodded and accompanied her until they reached the door to her appartement building. 

"Do you... want me to stay?", Linda asked quietly, squeezing Nia's hand which she was holding.  
"I should talk with Yvette alone first. I bet she's still not doing very good either.", Nia mumbled, eyes kept on the floor. She looked back up at the blonde. "But if you could come over later... I would appreciate that greatly."  
"Of course.", Linda nodded. She leaned over, giving Nia a kiss on the cheek. "I will be there."  
The corner of Nia's lip twitched up a little but she was too exhausted to form a full smile. So she just returned the gesture by giving a nod herself.   
Then she made her way into the building. 

Linda watched the closed door for a few seconds before starting to walk.   
She was deep in thought, so many emotions ran through her body, making her question what she should do.   
She felt a weight on her shoulders, trying to pull her down, and it seemed to grow heavier.   
She felt like she could hardly even breathe as she stumbled to the newest house wall, placing both hands against the cold stone and attempting to take deep breaths. 

It seemed like her blood ran cold when she suddenly heard a voice behind her. Not just any voice.  
" _Just go and kill him. I know that's what you want._ ", Lex Luthor's voice said, right behind her. Linda shot around as fast as a bullet but as she got ready to pull up her heat vision and decimate Lex, there was nobody there.  
"What-", she whispered.  
" _Go ahead. Nothing's stopping you._ ", he said, again behind her. But he wasn't there either.

Linda frowned and as she realised what was going on, she tightly shut her eyes.   
"No. Get out of my head. You're not real.", she mumbled. She had heard before that some people's imaginations ran wild when they were immensly distressed. She had assumed that as a kryptonian she would be immune to that. But apparently not.  
" _Don't listen to him, Lin. Remember: Hope, help, compassion._ "  
"Kara?", Linda whispered, opening her eyes again but her sister wasn't physically present either.   
Linda shook her head and as she leaned against the wall and slid down. She pulled her legs close to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, her eyes still tightly shut. She had to snap out of it. What did humans call this phenomenon? Angel on one shoulder, devil on the other? It sure felt like it.

She let out a groan as she pressed her hands on her ears to block them out but that wasn't doing anything. They were in her head, stress-induced hallucinations, nothing more, nothing less. The only way to overcome them would be to finally calm herself down somehow. But it wasn't working. In fact, their voices only grew louder, the more she tried to fight back.  
The voice of her sister telling her how important compassion was, how important it was to do the right thing.  
The voice of Lex Luthor reminding her that one life was nothing when a greater good was on the line, reminding her that she was stronger than this.  
And another small voice chiming in which sounded suspiciously like her own whispering to her how she was a soldier, how there was so much evil in the world which she couldn't control but this one... this one she could take care of.

Only when she abruptly opened her eyes again, a decision made, they stopped just as abruptly as they had come.   
She balled her fists and took a deep breath.   
"I protect you, Nia.", she mumbled firmly, eyes glaring into the empty space in front of her. "I'm sorry, Kara."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Linda walked closer to the bars. Luckily enough, this was a singular cell, no one would watch.   
She felt the rage rise inside of her as her eyes fell on the man who sat in the cell and stared at the wall across from him. She could barely keep herself together, could barely hold herself back from storming over there right then and there to snap his neck or decimate him with her heat vision.

"Why did you do that to her?", Linda finally asked, coldly.  
Gregory Bauer looked up, startled by the sudden appearance. Then he scoffed. "You're not supposed to be here."  
Linda narrowed her eyes, stepping closer. "I am here to kill you."  
He laughed. "There's nothing you can do. Your, what, your sister?, made very clear that she doesn't appreciate methods like that."  
"I don't care. I only care about-", she interrupted herself shortly when she almost let Nia's name slip out. Though it wouldn't matter what he knew or didn't know in a few minutes. "Dreamer. She is innocent. My sister was right to say that she can't kill. But I am not. I'm not like my sister. Or Dreamer. They are heroes. They always were. But you see... I used to be a soldier. I've killed before and I protect my people, no matter the cost. I couldn't protect one person I love. But I can protect her. And I will."

Linda raised her hand, showing the keys to his cell. She had stolen them with the help of her superspeed when the guards hadn't been looking. Gregory Bauer now jumped to his feet as his eyes widened.  
"You can't do this. They're gonna know it was you. There's security cameras here."  
"I've put them out.", Linda said, shrugging. She put the keys in the lock and opened the door, walking closer, slowly, with a murderous glint in her eyes.   
No one was allowed to hurt people she loved. Especially not Nia. Not her Nia.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She knocked on the door. A few seconds later, it was opened by Yvette who forced up a small smile.   
"Hey, girl."   
"Hi.", Linda replied while entering.  
"Nia's in her room."   
Linda nodded and walked towards the bedroom door. Halfway she turned back around, watching Yvette with sad eyes and a frown. "I'm sorry this has happened to you. But he can't hurt you anymore."  
The corner of Yvette's lip curled up. "Thank you."  
Linda nodded again and continued her walk to Nia's room.  
She knocked shortly before entering and closing the door again behind her.

Nia was laying on her bed, cuddled into a blanket, now looking up at her.   
"Hey."  
"Hi.", Linda said again. She bit her lip before stepping a little closer. She fidgeted with her fingers and bit her lip. "You're still sad."  
Nia laid still for a few seconds before nodding slowly.   
Linda swallowed, her eyes shifting from Nia to the ground and back to her repeatedly. "Can I do something to... to make you feel better?"  
"Just... just come here and hold me. Please?", Nia asked.

Linda didn't hesitate one second. She closed the space to the bed and crawled under the covers to lay down. Nia scooted closer, resting her head on Linda's shoulder and closing her eyes.   
The blonde carefully placed her arm around the brunette, beginning to comfortingly rub her hand up and down her upper arm.  
"Don't worry. I will protect you. I will always protect you.", Linda whispered softly. Determination stood clear in her eyes as she subconsciously pulled Nia a little closer and pressed a kiss on her forehead.  
Nia sniffled quietly. "Thank you, sun puppy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops🙊


	33. Chapter 47B

The next morning, Kara stormed into CatCo, hastily looking around, hoping that she would find them despite the events of yesterday. It was very possible that Nia would take the day off and it would be understandable. However it didn't take long in fact until she found her and her sister, sitting closely together. Their hands were interwined and Linda was holding out an oreo cookie with her other hand which Nia took with a small smile.  
Kara rushed forward. "Guys!", she exclaimed.   
They frowned.   
"Kara, what's wrong?", Nia asked.  
The blonde breathed heavily as she rested her hands on the desk. "That guy from yesterday - Gregory Bauer. They found him this morning in the cell. Dead. He's dead."  
"What?" Nia's jaw dropped. 

Kara nodded. "It was on TV half an hour ago. The cops say it was suicide since no one else was there at the time. At least according to the guards. And they can't check the cameras since they had a malfunction at some point before. They didn't say anything about how he did it though."  
"I- wow. Uh.", Nia stuttered, entirely overwhelmed with the situation.   
Linda tilted her head and squeezed her hand. "What's wrong?", she asked, quietly.  
"I was... I was so ready to kill that guy and now that he's actually dead, that's just... that's just a lot to process."  
Linda glanced down for a second and swallowed.   
She blinked a few times as if to get rid of some intruding thoughts and pointed at the cookie which was still in Nia's hand. "Oreos always make me feel better. They're gonna make you feel better too."  
The corners of Nia's lips twitched up and she nodded lightly as she placed a hand on Linda's cheek. "Yeah."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Days passed and the media had forgotten very fast about the transphobic harrassment and attacks, considering the fact that the person behind it was dead was enough to sweep the story back under carpet.   
Things startled to settle down again.   
But the more days went by, the more strained and distant Linda became. Not just to Nia but everyone, even her sisters.  
They didn't think much of it, simply passing it off as an attempt to dive more into work. It wasn't necessarily something worrisome or unusual.  
However, that mindset would soon change.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kara slowly paced around the appartement while waiting for her to pick up. Then she finally did.  
"Hello?", she asked.  
"Nia, hey, good that I'm catching you.", Kara spoke into the phone. "I just wanted to ask if you're with Lin. I dropped by because I just got some dumplings on sale and wanted to share but she's not home. She's also not picking up her phone."  
"Oh, no, she's not. I actually haven't seen her all day. She wasn't at CatCo today either.", Nia replied. She frowned. "You think she's okay? She's been... distant recently."  
Kara tried not to let the surprise and the worry shine through her voice at those words. It was no secret that Linda was more shut off lately but now she didn't even show herself at all anymore? "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure she's fine. I'll... I'll just take a look around the city. I'll find her."  
"Okay. Do you want me to help you?"  
"Ah, it's fine. I'll just fly around as Supergirl. I'll find her in the blink of an eye.", Kara responded, trying to sound optimistic.  
"Alright then. Can you tell me when you found her?"  
"Sure.", the blonde smiled. "Talk to you later."  
She hung up and left the dumplings on the table before taking off through the open window and flying up. 

She checked the city all around but it actually didn't take that long to spot her sister.  
She stood outside of the DEO, leaning on the railing of the balcony.  
"Gotcha.", Kara chuckled to herself, taking a landing course and finally arriving next to her. "Hey there, we've been- Woah, are you okay?"  
Kara interrupted herself when she saw Linda's face.

Linda curtly looked up at her sister, then lowered her head again. "No."  
Kara furrowed her eyebrows, stepping closer and leaning against the railing as well. "What's wrong?"  
Linda chewed on her lip and started playing with her fingers. "Nia..."  
The other blonde grew confused. "What's with-"  
"She's not okay. She pretends to be but... she not. She's still hurt because of what that man did.", she whispered, taking a deep breath. "And... and that hurts me too."

A knowing look spread across Kara's face. "Oh. Yeah. I- I understand that. It's hard to see the person you love suffer."  
Linda nodded lightly.   
"You know, I'm sure she could really use your comfort at the moment. I talked to her earlier and she said, you haven't showed up all day.", Kara said quietly. "Why aren't you with her? You barely let her go to the bathroom alone the first day after what happend and now..."  
She trailed off, watching her twin with curiosity.

"I was wrong."  
"About what?"  
"I thought if he were dead, she would feel better. She would feel safe.", Linda said quietly. "Like Mikhail did when I killed those thieves who attacked his house."  
Kara was astonished by the fact that Linda didn't even flinch upon saying his name. That meant she was either slowly starting to heal or she was in so much emotional turmoil that the pain wasn't able to come through. 

Kara snapped out of those racing thoughts and sighed. "It's not that easy, unfortunately. It's a very conflicting situation, she's hurting and-"  
"She was supposed to feel better.", Linda interrupted her bitterly, staring down at her trembling hands which were forming into fists.  
"I get that, Lin, but-", Kara said gently and laid her hand on her sister's shoulder. But the other blonde rapidly turned to her, causing her hand to break the touch. 

"No, you don't understand. If I had know that it won't help her, I wouldn't have done it.", Linda exclaimed loudly.  
Kara was shocked when she saw the tears and the desperation glistening in her sister's eyes.  
"What... what do you mean? What wouldn't you have done?", she asked cautiously.   
"I just wanted to help her.", Linda's lip started to quiver.  
Kara shifted from one foot to the other, growing more and more wary of the situation. "Lin, what- what did you do?"  
Her twin sniffled and bit her lip as she lowered her head, unable to look her sister in the eyes. "He didn't kill himself. I killed him. That was me."  
Kara felt like she had just been punched in the face. She blinked a few times as if she needed to convince herself that she wasn't imagining the conversation. "You... you did what?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, there it is


	34. Chapter 48B

"He didn't kill himself. I killed him. That was me."  
Kara felt like she had just been punched in the face. She blinked a few times as if she needed to convince herself that she wasn't imagining the situation. "You... you did what?"  
Linda closed her eyes, both of her hands grasping her hair as the first tears started rolling down her cheeks.  
It was not just the feelings of regret for taking a life once more after she had sworn to herself she wouldn't do it ever again - especially after she had almost killed Kara that one fateful day.  
It was also the feeling of fear. Fear that she would now lose the only family she ever had.  
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.", she whispered between sobs.

Kara stood still in shock.   
She couldn't quite believe what she heard.   
After the whole speech she had given to them, about the need of compassion, of the importance of not stooping down to the bad guy's level - explaining how killing wasn't the right way...  
Linda had still done it. Hadn't she changed? Hadn't she learned her lesson? Hadn't she become the hero Kara was so proud of?  
Kara didn't know what to think now.  
But honestly? She wasn't sure if, at this point in their relationship, she would be able to let someone who hurt Lena to an extent like this go. If she would be able to let him live. Or if she too would go rampant with anger and block out her own consciousness, even though she actually knew better.

She would be lying to herself if there hadn't been moments where she thought about going into Lex's cell and having him pay for the pain he put Lena through. She would snap out of it after a few seconds but especially in moments where she and Lena were more serious and the brunette would talk about the emotional abuse she went through all her life, Kara saw red.   
But she controlled herself because she knew that way was wrong. That it wasn't a justifiable act to do for a hero, no matter the evil deeds that person had done.  
Linda didn't have sort of filter. She had been taught the exact opposite. She had been taught that "bad people" had to be punished and eliminated. 

And that was the reason why.   
The man had hurt Nia, the person who Linda loved, in a terrible, inhumane way and Linda had wanted revenge. She had wanted him to pay. She had only wanted Nia to feel happy and safe again.  
Now she stood in front of her, sobbing, helpless, at rock bottom.

Just like Alex had stood in front of her, terrified and broken, all those years ago when she had admitted to killing her Aunt Astra. And though, it had been done under different circumstances - Alex having to literally act without thinking because J'onn's life had been at stake and Linda doing her actions towards a man who was already behind bars - they were done with the same intention. Keeping someone dear safe. 

She could tell that Linda was scared of losing her. Of losing everything. Scared that she would resent her for what she had done after speaking explicitly about why they couldn't act that way.  
But how ever would she be able to resent her sister for loving someone and wanting to do everything in her power to defend her?   
Especially if she wasn't sure she could keep this moral codex herself, should the same occur with her love, Lena?   
When it wasn't even directly her fault for thinking this way? Sure, she had learned a lot, had improved and become a better person since she became a Danvers but old habits die hard. That mindset had been drilled into her for the first months in her life after not remembering anything. Of course, the chance of relapsing had always been present. 

Kara could blame her now for not fighting against the urge hard enough. She could blame her now and push her away.   
But that wouldn't do anything. It would possibly just lead her down a dark path even more.   
Kara didn't want to lose her sister. She loved her too much. She didn't want to go back to a life without her twin sister. 

Kara sighed deeply and shook her head.   
She couldn't just let this slide. She had to have a serious conversation with Linda about how this couldn't happen again, about why this wasn't something they could do. But that had to wait.   
First and foremost, Linda needed the reassurance that she wouldn't lose her, lose any of them, over this. It was a relapse but they could work on it. They would work on it.  
Right now, she just needed one thing the most.   
"Hey, come here.", Kara said softly and pulled her into a hug.  
Linda instantly wrapped her arms around her twin, burying her face in the crook of her neck, sobs breaking out of her so violently that each one shook her body tremendously.

Kara simply held her close for a long time, stroking over her back. With time, her sobs died down and with some more time, she was finally able to pull away with caution.  
Linda rubbed over her eye, trying to brush away the remaining tears and sniffled loudly. "You... You don't hate me?"  
"No.", Kara said quietly, shaking her head. "But we'll need to... we'll need to work on... on what happend though, alright? Something like that can't happen again. That's not what that symbol is supposed to stand for."  
Kara lightly tapped the House of El sigil on her chest with her index finger for emphasis.

Linda bit her lip and nodded. "I'm sorry.", she mumbled with a quivering lip.  
"I know.", Kara said, trying to put as much empathy into her words as she could. "That's why I know you can... overcome this. You're better than this. I've seen the good in you."  
Linda swallowed hardly and took a deep breath.

Kara studied her for a few seconds. "Is that why you were avoiding Nia? Because of your bad consciousness?"  
Linda shrugged lightly and leaned back against the railing, looking down at her hands. "I just realised that I'm not... I'm not good for her. She deserves better."  
Kara frowned. "What do you mean?"  
"I knew I wasn't going to be good at this. I told her I wouldn't be good at this. I- Maybe I made a mistake... What if I made a mistake by-?"  
"Lin, I know one thing for sure. Love... real love which is pure and reciprocated is _never_ a mistake."

Linda released a shaky breath and angrily wiped over her eyes which were getting teary again. "I can't even find words to comfort my girlfriend. I'm... I'm just not-"  
"Please don't beat yourself up like that. Look, Nia _knows_ you. She knows your story. She knows how much you care, how much you love her, okay?", Kara stated firmly, placing a hand on Linda's shoulder and drawing comforting circles with her thumb. "You're not good with words. So what? A lot of people aren't. That doesn't mean they're not good partners. There are so many other ways you can show her that she has your support. That you have her back."

Linda frowned. "Like what?"  
"You'll think of something. I know you will. The right answer might already be in the back of your mind."  
Linda bit her lip in thought.   
And suddenly, her facial expression seemed to soften and light up.  
Kara smiled. "You have an idea?"  
"I... I think so.", Linda replied, apparently surprised. She looked at Kara, new determination and hope in her eyes. "But I'm gonna need help. From everyone."  
"You can count on us.", Kara said softly, nudging her sister's shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's coming pretty late, hope you still like it!


	35. Chapter 49B

"Lin, seriously, what's going on?", Nia asked, feeling very confused as to where the hell Linda was flying her and why she had to wear a blindfold.   
"You'll see.", Linda just said.   
Nia couldn't help the pout which spread across her lips. She had been very happy when Linda had shown herself after having been distant for so long. Though she had been confused as to why she was wearing something which was very reminiscient of the kryptonian robe Kara wore at the alien protest - just that Linda's was green.  
When the blonde had told her that she had to take her somewhere and blindfolded her before swooping her up into her arms, Nia had simply been surprised.   
Now she was getting impatient - curiosity taking over her quite rapidly.

After a few more minutes, they finally landed. Linda placed Nia back on the ground. The latter wondered what was going on as she heard quite a lot of noise. There had to be a big crowd somewhere close.  
At last, she was released from her blindfold.   
The first people who came into her view were the Superfriends. Kara, wearing the same clothes as Linda just in her typical blue, with Lena, Alex and Kelly, J'onn and Brainy. They all smiled knowingly.   
Nia raised her eyebrows and tilted her head as if to silently ask what was happening. 

Then her eyes landed on the crowd behind her friends. Countless people, all carrying some sort of poster or sign. Though every one was worded differently, they all had in essence the same message.  
Stop transphobia. Stop violence against trans people.

"What-", Nia whispered, looking back and forth between each of her friends.  
"They're all here to help. They're all on your side.", Lena said softly.  
Nia opened her mouth and closed it again. She had to blink a few uprising tears away.  
"It was really really hard to plan everything and gather everyone without you noticing anything, I'll tell you that.", Kara chuckled.   
"You guys... you all made this happen?", Nia asked astonished.  
"Yeah but we just helped. It was Lin's idea.", Kara grinned, making a hand motion at her sister who instantly blushed and rubbed the back of her neck.  
"It was?"  
Linda nodded sheepishly. "I-I knew about the protest you held for aliens' rights. And that it brought people together. I thought... doing that again might... make you feel better.", she stuttered, choking on her own words out of nervousness. 

Nia couldn't describe how touched she felt. She closed the distance to place her hands on Linda's shoulders and give her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. This is... this is simply amazing.", she whispered.   
Linda smiled softly and nodded.  
Nia turned back to the crowd, taking a few deep breaths. "I can't believe there's so many people here who are all... standing up for the community, that's just... incredible."  
"I guess since everything that happened with the aliens, Lockwood and Children of Liberty, the people of National City have learned to be more open-minded and supportive.", J'onn exclaimed.  
Nia nodded, not able to take her eyes away.  
"Shall we join the protest then?", Kara grinned, receiving a collective agreement.

For the first time, they formed little groups, walking hand in hand.   
After a while Kara disappeared to return in normal Kara Danvers clothes which would enable her to share more intimate touches with Lena - without starting any rumours that the Luthor was cheating on Kara with Supergirl.   
Shortly after, Linda carried Nia away so that she could change into Dreamer, as they figured that National City's trans superheroine should definitely join a protest in favor of her community. 

As they joined again, Nia took Linda's hand again, smiling brightly at her.   
Linda returned the gesture, incredibly happy to finally see her genuinely smile again.   
Then Nia noticed a person a little further ahead though and squinted in concentration to figure out whether it was who she thought.   
When the person turned to the side, making their face a little more visible, she had certainty.   
"I'll be right back.", Nia said, giving Linda a quick kiss on the cheek and taking off.

She had quickly caught up with the woman.  
"Hey! Hey, hi.", Nia said as the woman turned around and abruptly widened her eyes in surprise and shock at seeing Dreamer in front of her. "It's Yvette, right?"  
"You- You know my name?", Yvette asked astonished.  
"I do.", Nia grinned but it faded as fast as it had come. "I'm so sorry about what happened. That... this jerk used you to get to me, I..."  
"Oh no, it's fine. I'm... I'm okay."  
"I just really hope you don't shut yourself off because of this. We need to persevere and stay strong. I mean-", Nia looked around, the corners of her lips rising up again. "I thought I was the only one protecting our community. It turns out though that for every bigot, there's more than enough people willing to stand up."  
"Yeah. It's really nice to know that. My roommate already helped me quite a lot but... this just fully does it.", Yvette smiled. "It's very touching that Supergirl and Red Daughter planned this whole thing. To know that even the other superheroes in this town have our back."

"Yeah, Red is amazing.", Nia said softly, looking back at Linda with a smile.   
Yvette glanced back and forth a few times. "Are you two like...?", she trailed off.  
Nia's head jerked back around and the red of her cheeks seemed to tell Yvette everything she needed to know. She just nodded knowingly and mumbled something under her breath which appeared to include something which sounded a lot like "power couple".

Nia rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled nervously. "Alright then, I gotta go. Enjoy the rest of the day."  
"You too.", Yvette replied.  
Nia had already started walking but she turned around after a few feet again.   
"And hey.", she exclaimed, catching Yvette's attention again. Nia grinned. "We should hang some time."  
The beam on Yvette's face and her excited nod made Nia laugh. She waved before finally returning to Linda's side who welcomed her back with a soft smile as she slung her arm around her waist.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In the late evening, they were back at Linda's appartement. Nia, clad into an oversized shirt and short sweatpants, lay on the bed on her stomach, scrolling through her phone. Linda stood at the other end of the room, currently getting into her pyjamas as well.  
Suddenly, Nia let out a giggle and shook her head. The blonde raised her eyebrows in confusion.  
As a response, Nia patted the empty space beside her and after she had plopped down next to her, she showed her her phone.   
It showed an article about the protest today. And under that was article provocatively titled "From Superfriends to superlovers?? Month-old rumors seem to be coming true.", accompanied by a photo of Dreamer and Red Daughter, closely walking together, while the latter gave Dreamer a kiss on the cheek.  
"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag.", she chuckled. "I'm surprised they didn't figure it out sooner, to be honest."  
Linda grinned and nodded in agreement. 

Then her smile faded though and she got up, crossing her legs and swallowing.  
"Hey, you okay?", Nia asked, tilting her head.  
"There's... something I have to tell you.", Linda said quietly. "I was really angry when that man hurt you and... I didn't like seeing you sad. So I thought you would feel better if... you knew, he was gone and I... I..."  
Nia got up into a sitting position as well. "I don't understand, Lin, what are you trying to- Oh. Oh wait. Are you-?", Nia's eyes widened. "He didn't actually kill himself, did he?"  
Linda sighed deeply and shook her head.

She was too scared to look up but she could feel Nia's shocked eyes lingering on her. She could only imagine the kind of look on her face.   
Linda bit her lip, already feeling the tears burning in her eyes again.

Nia blinked a few times and took a breath. She swallowed before raising her hand and placing it on Linda's cheek which caused the latter to look up again.  
"No one's ever gone to such lengths to protect me. And I... I appreciate that. But please don't do that again.", the brunette said quietly, stroking a stray tear off of Linda's cheek. One corner of Nia's lips raised itself slightly as she continued to say: "If something like that happens again, just buy me a box of chocolates or something, okay?"  
Linda chuckled tearily and nodded, letting Nia pull her into a tight hug and give her a soft kiss on her temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late. I was so busy studying for my finals that I forgot I had a chapter to post. Running out of those quickly too. I'm gonna get back to BOTH versions as fast as I can.  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!


	36. Chapter 50B

(((Time jump//A few months later)))

Kara and Linda had both been currently at CatCo when Alex contacted them through their comms.   
"Hey, guys, there's an attack on an immigration centre nearby. The cops are already on their way but I think you should go too. Until they're there, someone could already be hurt."  
Kara and Linda, who were basically immigrants too, - with Kara being from literally a different planet and with Linda having her roots in Kaznia - were instantly on high alert and nodded fiercely as they looked at each other from across the room.

Nia, who was standing next to Linda, frowned a little.  
"Everything alright?", she asked.  
Linda simply nodded. "An emergency. We have to go."  
"Oh, okay, should I come along?"  
Linda pursed her lips then smiled. "Sure, why not? I'm sure we can take all the help we can get."  
She took Nia's hand before following her sister outside. 

A few seconds later, they were shooting out of the media empire in their supersuits - Nia being transported on Linda's arms - and across the sky while Alex told them where they needed to go.

And sure enough, there was a crowd in front of the small building, an immigration centre. The newly arrived immigrants were pressing themselves against each other, most of them fearful and terrified. The children amongst them were crying as they didn't know what was going on. A few brave ones tried taking defensive stances and braced themselves for the worst.

Some of the attackers were simply holding up posters with incredibly disgusting racist words and shouting angrily. Others were wearing masks and holding knives, obviously meaning to cause more than just emotional harm.  
A significant amount fled the scene when they saw the Kryptonians and Dreamer arriving.  
The rest wasn't as smart.

The three landed and took up the fight. Though it would hardly be much of a fight - a human mob wasn't even in the top 10 of opponents they had needed to fight over time.  
While they were battling the attackers, the terrified people took the chance to scatter, while some of them ran inside to seek shelter.  
After a few minutes, most of the attackers were taken care of and just in that moment too, the police arrived.  
The superheroines left their defensive stances.

"I'll go inside and see if everything's okay there.", Linda announced and as Kara nodded, she sped inside the building.   
Meanwhile Kara and Nia stayed outside, watching as the remaining few of the attackers were taken in by the police officers.  
"I guess I'll go over there then?", Nia stated, shrugging slightly and pointing over her shoulder before walking into that direction to check the situation there.

Kara meanwhile scanned her surroundings to see if there was anyone left, either one of the protestors or someone who needed help maybe.  
And sure enough, the head of a boy suddenly emerged out of a bush, hastily looking around, apparently trying to figure out if the attackers were gone for good and if it was safe to come out. He finally crawled out and stood up but he stood rather crouched and small.  
Kara couldn't see his face but from his body posture, she could tell he was scared. 

"Hey, buddy! You okay? You don't have to be afraid, everything's alright again.", she said loudly, trying to sound as comforting as she could from the distance. She took a few steps towards him.  
The boy turned around. So now, Kara could see his face.  
And for some reason he looked really familiar - she was sure she had seen him somewhere before. She just couldn't put her finger on it.  
The little boy stared at Kara for a few seconds - first in disbelief and shock, then in relief. He took off, running straight towards her and wrapping his arms around her waist. He held onto her as if his life depended on it. 

Kara frowned.  
She put her hands on the boy's shoulders, gently pushing him from her so she could lean down and look into his face.   
The boy was smiling brightly but upon seeing her confused, unknowing face, his smile faltered and instead he furrowed his brows.   
"Uh, do I know you?", Kara asked.  
"You don't remember?", the little boy replied with another question, obviously very disappointed and upset. He had a thick accent which Kara could easily identify as russian, thanks to her twin sister.

Nia came back now and seemed a little surprised by the sight of Kara with her hands placed on an unknown boy's shoulders. That wasn't the unusual thing though. It had occured a few times on missions that kids who were in the line of danger needed to be comforted.  
No, the unsual thing was Kara's facial expression, both concentrated and almost irritated, as if she was trying hard to remember the kid.

"Hey, everything alright?", she questioned.  
"I- I don't know wh-", Kara began but she interrupted herself when she heard Linda land on the ground a few feet away. She looked over.  
Linda had been smiling, probably about to tell her that everyone inside was alright but her face fell when she saw the little boy in front of Kara.   
Kara heard her heart skipping a beat and her breathing picking up in speed, as well as growing very heavy all of the sudden. 

She looked like she had seen a ghost - and in a way, she did.  
The eyes of the boy widened as he looked back and forth between Kara and Linda, not understanding what he was seeing.   
Then Linda finally gathered up the ability to speak - though it came out very shaky and like her voice would crack any second. "Mikhail."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be able to FINALLY update version a tomorrow again. Then I'll have to see how I will manage to write two chapters (one for each storyline haha since I will then have run out of premade chapters for B as well) a day but I'll try to make it work.   
> The only positive thing is, at least they will be both take place at the same time. Like before version A was always so much further ahead in time haha. Anyways, hope you enjoy this :)
> 
> (I know, I know, this version doesn't include Lucky :/ I thought about adding him in here too but tbh it would have felt kinda useless since he would barely show up here, considering I always focus mostly on Linda and Nia or the Danvers twins)


	37. Chapter 51B

"Mikhail."

The boy's, Mikhail's, eyes lit up as he realised that this was the woman who he had wanted to see, who he had wanted to meet again for endless months. The woman who had saved him from thieves and had been there for him such a long time ago. His hero.  
And though he didn't know why she was suddenly there twice, he didn't care. All that marrered was that he had found her. 

He slipped out of Kara's gently grasp and ran over to Linda, who fell to her knees and embraced him as he threw himself into her arms.   
Tears quickly rose into Linda's eyes as she held the boy tightly in her arms - not being able to believe that he was still alive. She had believed for almost a year that he was dead - in fact, his supposed death had been the reason for her intense hatred of Americans in the beginning and why she would have done anything to help Lex destroy them. Before she realised that he was the bad guy of the story, that is.  
But she never would have expected how much of a bad guy. It had all been a lie - a ploy to pull her on his side.

Kara and Nia watched the heartwrenching scene, looking back and forth between each other and the reunited duo. They were a little confused about what was going on.  
They did feel incredibly happy though but also terribly sorry for both of them. They had missed each other for such a long time, not knowing what had happened to the other.  
But it did explain why Kara hadn't been able to pinpoint who the boy was exactly but why he did look familiar to her. She had only ever seen one photo of Mikhail - in the notebook which she had found in the copy of her own appartement, back before Linda had switched to the good side.

The two now pulled away from each other.  
Linda cupped Mikhail's face and she studied him with teary eyes and a quivering lip. "What happened?", she asked. The encounter seemed to cause her russian accent, which she had almost completely lost over the past year living in National City, to resurface again.   
Mikhail explained it to her but Kara and Nia couldn't understand a lot, if anything at all, as he talked in russian.   
Linda listened very attentively to what he was saying.  
When he had finished, she took a deep shaky breath and hugged him again.  
"If only I'd known-", Linda whispered with a trembling voice. "I would have looked for you."

Then she stood up, taking his hand and guiding him to Kara and Nia who were standing next to each and still didn't really understand what was going on. They smiled at them though.  
Linda smiled back. She looked down at Mikhail who tilted his head.   
"This is Kara or, her superhero name, Supergirl. She's my sister.", she said in russian but Kara was able to understand it as she recognized her name as well as the word "sister".   
Kara reached out her hand with a smile. "Hello, Mikhail. Nice to meet you."  
Mikhail stared at her hand for a few seconds, then he took her hand and lightly shook it as the corners of his lips moved upwards as well.

Then they turned to Nia.  
"And this is Nia. Also known as Dreamer. My girlfriend.", she continued. Mikhail glanced up at her for a second, apparently quite surprised by this information but he didn't say anything and just shook Nia's outstretched hand as well.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They ended up taking him with them as they flew to the DEO - they'd have to think of an excuse for CatCo later.  
Since Linda was carrying Mikhail now, Kara had to carry Nia now.  
When they arrived, several agents looked at them with very confused faces because of the fact that they brought a child with them.  
Especially Alex was pretty perplexed at the sight. She looked at her sisters questioningly as they came closer, coming to a halt in front of her.  
"Hey, guys.", she said slowly, glancing back and forth between the three women and the boy.

Linda rested her arms around his shoulders as she stood behind him. "Alex.", she said. "This is Mikhail."  
Alex's eyes widened. She had only been informed about Mikhail once - he had been described to her as someone who had been very important to Linda but had been killed back in Kaznia. However that was obviously not the case.  
"Oh, uh. Well, nice to meet you.", she said with a small nod at the boy.

Kara turned to Linda.  
"What exactly did happen though? What did he tell you?", she asked curiously.   
Linda summarised the situation. "He had been living alone with his mother but when she died, some other emigrants offered to take him with them so he could start fresh in America - maybe find a family. He agreed and they took him under their wing. However, they got seperated on the way. He somehow still found his way to the immigration centre, even though there was already that protest. And then we met him."

"But how did he survive the bombing of his house then?", Alex asked, looking puzzled.  
"Lex Luthor must have - ", Linda interrupted herself as her eyes seemed to zone out. Her jaw clenched.  
"Lin?", Kara frowned.   
" _этот ублюдок_.", she mumbled. [" _That bastard._ "]   
Without any kind of warning, she had supersped away.   
"Oh Rao, please no.", Kara sighed and used her own superspeed to follow her.

She was lead to the prison cells of the DEO. Kara arrived just in time to see the opened cell of Lex Luthor who had been grabbed by the collar and was now lifted into the air only to be slammed onto the hard ground.   
"Crap.", Kara exclaimed, rushing in. "Lin, stop!"  
Linda's eyes stared down onto Lex, coldly and with a dangerous glint in them. Kara could imagine that this was the same expression she had when she made it her mission to kill Gregory Bauer. 

"He took him away from me.", Linda snarled. "He lied to me, manipulated me. He made me a monster!"  
"You're not a monster.", Kara said softly, slowly walking closer with raised hands, trying her best to make her feel safe. "He is. But that doesn't define you. Don't let him make you do something you'll regret. Again. You said yourself you don't want to kill anymore."  
"I don't.", Linda said through gritted teeth, tears of anger in her eyes.   
"Then let him go. As long as he's in here, he can't hurt anyone anymore. Believe me, I've wanted to come here and give him what he deserves many times too. But we can't do that. It's not right.", Kara explained. "Think about Mikhail. He needs you now. He needs someone to look up to, who will take care of him. You don't want to be that kind of role model, do you?"

Linda finally looked up. Her expression had changed. She stayed silent for a while, only breathing heavily.   
She looked back down at Lex. She pressed her eyes tightly shut for a second and strengthend her grip around his collar. Then she abruptly let go and straightened herself. She stared at Lex as she shook her head. "You're not worth it."  
She turned on her heel, only stopping shortly as Kara placed a hand on her shoulder to give it a little squeeze and then walked out of the district.  
Kara took a deep breath before turning to leave as well.

"What the hell was that?", Lex exclaimed, angrily, as he struggled to get into a sitting position and fixed his collar.  
"We found Mikhail. The kid from Kaznia who you pretended Americans killed so that Linda would turn on them.", Kara said curtly.   
Lex stared at her. "He's alive?"  
Kara narrowed her eyes. "You didn't know?"  
"Of course not. Do you seriously think I'd risk the exposure of my plans?", he hissed.  
Kara scoffed. "Wow. That makes it even worse. I didn't think that was possible but I shouldn't be surprised, considering it's you, we're talking about here."  
She shook her head as she closed the cell securely again and returned to the others.   
As she arrived back with the others, Linda had wrapped Mikhail back into her arms and had closed her eyes, apparently trying to convince herself once more that this was indeed happening. That he really was alive, that she really had him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some time the chapters of both versions are gonna be very alike, except for the obvious differences of one having the trio + Lucky and the other having Linda+Nia, because now they're actually taking place at the same time haha. Which is quite good, considering I'll now have to manage writing two chapters a day.  
> I'll still try to sprinkle in some differences!


	38. Chapter 52B

Linda opened the door to the appartement, stepping in and holding the door open for the other two, Nia and Mikhail, to enter.  
She smiled down at the boy who returned the gesture and walked in, looking around with wide eyes. He was obviously astonished by the size of the place. Of course it wasn't actually the biggest appartement there was. Lena's and Kara's place was probably twice as big, though he hadn't seen that one yet of course.   
But it was still much larger than the little house he had been living in with his mother, back in Kasnia, and most of all much more comfortable and clean. And then there had been the bomb, turning it into ashes. After that they had lived in even worse circumstances.

Nia, who noticed his fascination, smiled lightly. "No need to be so cautious. That's your new home, buddy."  
Linda beamed and nodded.   
"Though Lin had the same facial expression every time she saw a new appartement. Remember the first time you visited mine?", Nia asked with a smirk. "Your eyes were as big as a kid's on christmas eve."  
Linda shook her head and chuckled.

Mikhail smiled a little. He didn't understand all of what they were talking about as he still wasn't too fluent in english and Nia was speaking rather fast but he understood enough to know that he was a really lucky kid to have ended up with people who were obviously so loving and caring. He could tell from the way Nia jokingly teased her that they loved each other dearly. 

There was unfortunately still a lot of resentment and hate towards homosexuality where he had come from. Which was why he had never really encountered any couple of the same sex since most of them there were too scared to be out and proud.  
Mikhail himself had never really understood what was supposed to be wrong with it. His mother had raised him very open-mindedly and had explained to him very early that acceptance and equality was important.  
But it had still been sort of an adjustment - seeing displays of affection which would have been so quickly doomed in Kasnia. As well in Linda and Nia, as in Kara and Lena or Alex and Kelly. The latter had shown up at the DEO for a quick hello to her girlfriend and therefore been introduced as well. He had been a little overwhelmed with the information that all three Danvers sisters had a girlfriend but had found it kinda funny as well.

When Nia and Linda now finally ended their gentle bickering with a giggly kiss, Linda turned back to Mikhail and smiled, asking if he would like to see the room which he would get to sleep in. At least for now. They would definitely have to find a different solution soon because the appartement didn't have something like a guest room. That meant for the time being they would have to share the bedroom until they figured something out. 

Mikhail agreed.  
Linda led him along to the bedroom and opened the door to the rather small and simple room. It was obviously not meant for a young boy which would have probably been a disappointment to most other children.

However, for Mikhail this was almost luxurious.  
Thinking back to his old room and his old bed. All worn out, dirty and on the verge of falling apart. His bed had been nothing more than an old mattress with more holes than one could count and a scratchy blanket which didn't even protect from the cold very much. Not to mention the bedbugs which he would try to get rid of night after night before going to sleep.   
He hadn't even ever dared to dream about having a real bed in a room like this. But now he did and he didn't even know how to react. He felt like screaming and crying out of joy but he was stunned into absolute silence.

Linda looked at him knowingly. She could empathize with his emotions very well. She too had experienced them.  
In Kasnia she had slept in what could be called a prison cell with barely any light coming through. Sleeping on a cold hard metal bed with a single pillow and a thin blanket, neither giving much comfort or warmth.  
When Lex had brought her to America, she had experienced what it felt like to sleep on an actual bed for the first time and it had had a similar effect on her as it had on Mikhail now.  
By the time she had then moved in with Kara, she had been used to the bed situation. But then she had learned a different aspect, something she had never considered possible before. Something that gave more comfort than any blanket or pillow ever could. Not having to sleep alone. To know that someone was there who would hold her hand or embrace her in their arms in case she had a nightmare or even just sought company.

She slowly placed her arm around Mikhail and pulled him close. She wanted to give him the same feeling of safety that Kara, and later Nia as well, had given her. She didn't want him to ever feel alone again. And she would make sure, he didn't.   
And later that day, when it was time to get to bed, Linda accompanied Mikhail there. She sat on the edge of the bed, watching him get under the covers and how his eyes lit up upon experiencing the comfortability of an actual bed for the first time.   
She smiled softly and while fumbling with her fingers, she told him that he could always come to her if something was wrong. Just like Kara and Nia too had always made sure that she knew that she could count on them in case of any nightly terrors. 

Mikhail nodded, his cheeks a little blushed.   
Linda shot him a last smile and then went to get up. She was held back by Mikhail's hand gently grabbing her arm and when she turned to him again, he had moved up to his knees and hugged her.   
Linda was a little startled at first but then the corners of her lips raised themselves again and she wrapped her own arms around him. 

After pulling away, Mikhail disappeared back under the blanket.   
Linda sighed happily and made her way to the door, looking back at him.  
" _спокойной ночи_ , Mikhail.", she whispered. [" _Sleep well, Mikhail_."]  
Then she turned off the lights and joined Nia who was waiting on the couch, greeting her with a kiss.   
They had thought about having Nia go to her own appartement and sleep there, considering the space on the bed but then figured it would be fine.

So when they too went to bed, they laid down next to Mikhail. Linda ended up being in the middle while Nia's arm slipped around her from behind.   
They had quickly fallen asleep as well.   
In the middle of the night however, Linda woke up, realising that the space really was very narrow. Since Nia was already laying half on top of her, she shrugged very lightly and gently pulled her over just a little more. Then she simply started floating a little upwards. Superpowers such as flight really came in handy sometimes, especially considering she could sleep-fly and manage to prevent Nia from falling of at the same time without any problems.

She knew that wasn't an issue because it had happened a few times on accident already. And after talking with Kara, ehe had heard that the same thing had occured with her and Lena as well before.  
Linda smiled softly and pressed a small kiss on Nia's hairline before closing her eyes again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this one!


	39. Chapter 53B

Nia was the first to wake up in the morning and she was rather startled by the fact that she found herself lying on Linda's hovering form. She should have gotten used to the fact that this happened occasionally by now but she simply didn't.  
And in itself, she didn't mind. It was kind of endearing how, while humans would sometimes sleepwalk, Linda was just sleepflying - chilling in the air as if it was no big deal.  
To someone who didn't possess the ability of flight, it got a little unnerving though.  
Especially if you had no idea how to get back to the ground.

Luckily enough, Linda woke up from the alarm for work at CatCo after a few minutes. Which really was lucky because a few months ago, she easily slept through it if no one were to wake her. By now, she seemed to have gotten used to it.  
She cast Nia a sleepy smile before yawning and letting them sink back down onto the bed.  
Mikhail had woken up from the alarm as well and was now looking around rather flabbergasted, making both of the women smile. 

While Nia already got up to look for fresh clothes, already having made a small departement in Linda's closet her own, the blonde seemed to think about what to do.  
As Mikhail wasn't going to school, considering he just arrived in America shortly before, he didn't have anywhere to go while they were at Catco.  
She didn't really want to leave him alone.  
So without further ado, she told him to get dressed as well and to come along.  
Her sister had told her that there had been children at CatCo before who didn't have anywhere else to go during that time. Which was why James had once brought along a little alien boy or why Kara had once babysitted Cat Grant's son Carter in the building.  
So that wouldn't be an issue. 

Linda rushed away to bring Mikhail the small bag with some spare clothes. He didn't have much of course since he couldn't have taken too much on the journey. And he hadn't had too many things back in Kasnia anyway.  
The blonde made a mental note that they would definitely have to buy him some clothes and other things after finishing their work day at CatCo later. 

After they had all gotten ready and dressed, they moved to the kitchen for breakfast.  
Which was yet another highlight for Mikhail. Not only the quality and amount of food available but also the fact that he got to eat with someone else.  
When he had still lived with his mother, before she had died, he barely ever got to see her. She left early in the morning and came back late in the evening, to work, so that he would have any food at all.  
And while they were in their way to America, there hadn't been any actual meals either, just quick snacks every now and then. 

Both Linda and Nia couldn't help but smile at the shimmer in his eyes and the way he first only hesitantly started eating. Before then downright bolting the food down until Nia couldn't stiffle her laughter anymore and assured him that nobody would take it away from him and that he could take his time.  
Mikhail only responded with a sheepish smile.

Soon enough after they had finished, they got ready to go.  
Usually the two would get to CatCo by taking Linda's motorcyle which she was proudly owning for the last few months.  
It had been passed down onto her by Alex who had decided to get a new one and since she knew of Linda's fascination with it, she had given her old one to her. And just like the leather jacket she had gifted her, Linda cherished it. Thanks to her kryptonian abilities and Alex's help, she had learned how to drive with it over the span of a few days and had thus probably become one of the fastest people to get a driving license. Since no one had been able to deny that she could do it.

However there wasn't really enough space for three on there which was why they took Nia's car instead, which was fortunately still parked in front of the appartement.  
Upon arriving at CatCo, some people in their floor did look after him considering the presence of a kid with them but no one really seemed to care enough to ask.

"Hey, you guys.", Kara beamed at the three when she saw them. "How was the night?"  
"I got scared half to death this morning because we were flying.", Nia said monotonously.  
Kara started laughing.  
"There wasn't enough space.", Linda mumbled as she rubbed her neck and smiled sheepishly.  
Nia chuckled. "Yeah, I think until we figure something out, I'll sleep at my place."  
"You'll find a solution.", Kara encouraged with a grin and patted her sister's shoulder. 

They had a little more small talk, then they all moved along to their respective work places. Mikhail followed Linda who also got a second chair so he could sit down.  
She tried to explain to him what she was doing so he wouldn't get too bored. He seemed to be quite interested though and time actually flew by pretty fast.  
Soon, they were able to leave again.

They didn't instantly return home though because as Linda had made sure to remember before, Mikhail needed some clothes and stuff and they had to take care of that. Nia offered to accompany her which she very gratefully accepted.  
She also made plans with Kara to enroll Mikhail in school as he could use the education and he also couldn't go with her to CatCo forever.

But first came the shopping. They went through a few different shops so that Mikhail had a wider variety of opportunities. The boy seemed to be a little embarrassed at first about the fact that they would be spending so much money on him. Since getting a complete range of clothes wasn't exactly cheap.  
The two women noticed this, noticed how he automatically glanced at the price tags of every article they were showing him and tried to assure him that he didn't have to worry about it.

He still didn't appear to feel too confident about the whole thing but he attempted to brush it off as he could tell that they were sincere.  
When they finally decided that they had enough for now, they made their way back.  
On the way, however they passed a store and upon seeing one specific object in a display window, a memory clicked inside of Nia and she nudged Linda's arm, pointing in the direction.  
Linda turned her head, searching for what her girlfriend meant and when she found it, she nodded with a smile.  
The blonde gently grabbed Mikhail's hand to pull him along. He was confused at first but as soon as he realised what was in their sight, his eyes lit up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some parts are the same as the other version but I did try to have some differences in here. Hope you enjoy it!


	40. Chapter 54B

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is coming so late! I completely forgot it yesterday!

Linda had been ecstatic and thankful when Nia had drawn her attention to the display window of the little sports shop. She would have missed it if Nia hadn't done that.   
Not only was Mikhail's facial expression upon seeing something as simple as a football heartwarming and not only did it delight her that she could make him happy. But she also felt very touched by the fact that Nia remembered such a tiny detail of a story which she had told her a year ago - after she had been calming down from her mental breakdown of thinking she might have seen the boy.   
It was unbelievable to think how heartbroken and devastated she had been. How much she had been hurting and grieving.

And now she was watching him walk in front of her, lightly kicking the ball from one foot to another and looking back at her every now and then with a big joyful grin on his face.  
Every now and then she had to remind herself that she wasn't dreaming or imagining it. 

She turned her head to the side when Nia hand slid into her's. The brunette looked at her with a knowing and sympathetic look in her eyes as if she knew what was going inside of her at the moment. She smiled softly at her and Linda promptly returned the gesture, leaning forward to give her a quick peck on the lips. 

After making their way home and putting all the new things aside, they decided to make use of the good weather and also to put that new football into play.  
And they took that very seriously, even all changing into some more comfortable clothes - Mikhail had gotten a set of sports clothes amongst other things so he changed into those. Linda and Nia both put on leggings and tops.   
If they were to play a game of football, they wanted to go all the way. 

They weren't too far away from a park so that's where they went.   
However before anything could happen, Nia and Mikhail had to explain to her what exactly to do in the first place. Nia had some knowledge of how to play from her childhood in Parthas so that wasn't that big of an issue. She was in no way a master player but at least she could manage getting the one or the other goal.  
Linda on the other had only seen kids occasionally play from a distance and didn't actually know anything. But she quickly understood the rough concept.

And for a while, things went well. They had fun.   
Then Linda underestimated the strength of one kick a little too much and the ball shot through the air, losing complete control over the direction it was supposed to go and ending up with a crash into a stone wall nearby, which was supposed to act as a boundary of the park's grass field. The impact alone created a loud thud, enough to automatically make Linda hide her face behind her hands in embarrassment.  
Mikhail and Nia both stared at the light dent which was now decorating the stone wall before turning their heads to each other and starting to snort with laughter.

"It's not funny!", Linda exclaimed, her hands still covering her face and therefore muffling her voice. There were a few seconds of silence before she finally lowered them a little so that they could at least see her wide eyes. She added in a whisper: "Do you think anyone saw that?"  
Nia brushed away some tears of laughter out of the corner of her eye and glanced around.   
People obviously couldn't care less. They continued their picnics or card games and small talk as if nothing had been going on.  
She turned back to Linda and shook her head.  
The blonde released a relieved breath and let her hands fall back down.  
"Hmm...", Nia made, chewing on her bottom lip in thought. "You know, I think I have an idea how this is gonna be even more fun."

Around half an hour later, all the Superfriends strolled around, all dressed into fitting sporty clothes as well.  
Except for J'onn who definitely didn't want to join the game but he decided to still come along and to act as some sort of referee.  
They divided up into teams and as they walked around to go to their respective spaces, Alex shot Lena a playful grin.  
"We're gonna crush you, Luthor.", she teased. "You probably don't know the last thing about sports like this."

Lena raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I wouldn't be so sure. You know when you're a highschooler and have the burden of the Luthor name, you do anything to gain popularity. Playing chess isn't gonna impress other teenagers, football on the other hand does. I've actually been pretty good."  
Alex sighed in obvious disappointment. "Of course you are. Why am I even trying to find something you're bad at."  
Lena chuckled.

Kara had meanwhile been following the conversation quite closely. She blinked a few times. "I can't tell if I'm supposed to feel sorry for your younger self now or if I'm supposed to find this hot."  
The Luthor grinned and came closer to stop directly in front of her. She gently patted her shoulder. "A healthy mixture of both is best probably.", she said with a wink.  
Kara's eyes shone brightly and she leaned forward to kiss her. It was supposed to be a soft kiss but it fastly turned quite passionate.

"Oi! We wanna start!", Alex yelled.  
The two didn't budge.  
"Unbelievable.", Alex gaped, shaking her head. "These two are worse than rabbits."  
Kelly who stood next to her, laughed. "Give them a minute, they'll come around."  
"No, no, if we give them a minute, they're probably gonna be back at their appartement and get more steamy. We gotta interrupt them now.", Alex replied, making her girlfriend giggle again.

At last, Kara and Lena were able to finally pull away so they could start playing. And they ended up having a really good time. They also proudly wore the title of being probably the biggest, gayest family in that whole park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it!


	41. Chapter 55B

Nia approached Linda rather nervously. There wasn't any actual reason to be nervous but she still was. This was huge, at least from her perspective. And it was also weird but exciting. So many things at once.

Kara, who was currently talking with Linda at the latter's workplace, greeted her with a smile.   
Upon seeing her facial expression and the way she fidgeted with her hands, she blinked a few times before looking over at Mikhail and asking him if he'd like to go and get some snacks with her together. The boy agreed of course - which child would say no to free snacks? 

Mikhail smiled brightly as he saw Nia and held up his fist. The brunette chuckled and gave him the requested fistbump.  
Mikhail had been a little confused when Nia's and Linda's form of celebrating the victory of the football match recently and so the blonde had explained to him how Nia had taught her doing a fistbump on the day they met and that it had sort of ignited their friendship. Which then later led to romance. She explained that it had basically become a tradition for the two.  
He had found that pretty funny and just like that, he had joined the fistbumping - being part of the family now and all.

Mikhail followed Kara and Nia now approached Linda who greeted her with a smile and a short peck on the lips.  
Soon enough though, she frowned. "Is something wrong?"  
"No, nothing's wrong. I just... needed to talk to you. Maybe CatCo isn't exactly the right place but if I waited any longer, I'd probably go crazy.", Nia chuckled, rubbing her neck. "You see, I talked with Yvette this morning. She told me that she had been seeing someone for a few months now. She didn't tell anyone out of fear that it might be another "Angus"-situation, you know? But as it turns out, he's serious about it. And apparently it's going really good and well... she's moving in with him. Which means..."

Linda tilted her head as Nia trailed off. "Which means you have more space now."  
The brunette nodded."Most importantly an extra room... Which could very easily be modified to be a kid's room. If you want- Well, if you want, you and Mikhail could-"  
"Yes.", Linda smiled softly.   
Nia breathed out and returned the smile. "Yeah?"  
The blonde nodded and got up from her chair to embrace her girlfriend.   
"You think Mikhail won't mind either?"

"I'm pretty sure. He hasn't lived in the appartement long enough to grow attached. And he really likes you, I think he'd like having you around more."  
Nia blushed at the fact that Mikhail apparently approved of her. "I'm glad to hear that."  
Linda looked down, grinning goofily, playing with the ends of Nia's hair. "We're gonna officially live together."  
Nia smirked. "Yeah, we will."

After a few more minutes, Kara and Mikhail came back. The boy was very happily sucking on a lollipop.   
Kara seemed to be relieved when she saw that the tension had faded from Nia's body. Which would mean that the important talk had been done with.  
"Hey, guys.", she beamed.  
"Hi.", Linda and Nia said simultaneously.   
"So, what's up?", Kara asked, trying to be casual but the curiosity was obviously eating away at her.

Linda grinned at Nia, then back at Kara. "We're moving in together."  
Kara's eyes widened and she had to pull herself together very hardly so she wouldn't squeal and draw a lot of unwanted attention to them. "That's amazing!", she exclaimed.  
Mikhail had listened up at that statement and looked at Nia. "So you'll live with us?"  
"Yeah.", Nia smiled. "My roommate is moving out which means I have an extra room and well... That's quite fitting for a kid's room."  
Mikhail just glanced back and forth between Linda and Nia for a few seconds as if to test if they were maybe kidding. When he decided that it was serious, he grinned toothily. "классно."  
Linda chuckled and translated it for the other two women as "awesome".

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

And not much longer after this, they started packing the most important things they'd need to take with them. Luckily enough, that was fastly fine with a kryptonian and another one for support.   
Though it was clear that the most important object to bring with them was the red fuzzy blanket which was still sacred to Linda as there were so many memories connected to it. 

They arrived with their stuff just as Yvette was about to leave with her's.   
She greeted them happily.  
They were having some smalltalk and having some fun.  
Then Yvette said something which wiped the smiles of their faces and left several dropped jaws.  
"The only disadvantage for you is probably that you won't be able to fly in and out as easily anymore. Since the windows here aren't big enough."

"Wh- what did you just say?", Nia stammered after a few moments of shocked silence.  
"The windows aren't big enough here.", Yvette said.  
"N-no. Uhm, before that."  
"Oh, the flying part?", Yvette smirked, knowing fully well what she meant. "Yeah, I would guess, Red Daughter does that sometimes, don't you, Linda?"  
"I-", the blonde swallowed. "I- You know?"

"Yup.", Yvette said, popping the 'p'. "I mean it took me a while to figure all of you out and I may not necessarily be the smartest one around here but I'm not blind. I was pretty naive not to see that both you, Nia, and Dreamer are trans women with the same kind of brown hair and the same height. Which can pass a lucky coincidence. However the fact that both you are dating a blonde who also has an identical twin sister was kind of a give-away. Admittedly, only someone who's close to you would figure that out as quickly. And I've been living with you for a whole while so if that isn't close, I don't know what is. Anyway, I pieced it together after the protest."  
Nia blinked a few times. "Why didn't you say anything?"  
Yvette shrugged. "I guessed it just wasn't much of my business. I get it. Superheroing must be dangerous, you wanna include as few people as possible. It was best if you believed I didn't know."

"Huh.", Nia only made, apparently stunned into silence. And Linda didn't seem to feel much different, as her eyes were still widened and her mouth still open the slightest bit.  
After a few seconds of silence, Yvette simply grinned and said that she should probably get going then.   
Even after she left, Nia and Linda were still a little out of it.  
But when Kara arrived with the last pieces of stuff as well as Mikhail following her once more, they both snapped out of it. Instead, the excitement set in again.  
Nia rested her head once more on Linda's shoulder.  
"Welcome home.", she whispered, making the blonde smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately I didn't have any time to write a chapter for Version A. I just have lots more ideas for B to be honest. Most I can simply adjust to fit for A as well but this one wasn't one of them.  
> Hope you still enjoy this one!


	42. Chapter 56B

Linda looked across the table at Mikhail who was currently getting handed a glass of orange juice from Nia.   
She kneaded her hands nervously and chewed on her lip.  
She was so focused on following his every move, even as he disappeared behind the bathroom door, that she didn't even realise that Nia had walked over to her until she felt her arms wrap around her from behind.  
"Relax, Lin.", she said quietly with a smile, obviously amused. "It's his first day of school, not a burial. He'll be fine."

Linda took a deep breath. "I know. But it's strange. He's been coming with us to CatCo for the past week and now he suddenly won't anymore and it's-"  
Nia chuckled into the blonde's hair before resting her chin on her shoulder and glancing at her sympathetically. "I get it, okay? You're overprotective because of everything that happened before. But you won't lose him again. You don't have to be afraid anymore."  
Linda glanced over as Mikhail stepped out of the bathroom again and looked at her excitedly.  
Then she sighed. "I know. I'm trying to remind myself of that.", she said in a hushed voice.

Nia smiled softly and straightened herself a little, pressing a kiss on Linda's hairline. "Well, then I guess, we should get going. The young man here has a first day of school to attend and I have to be at CatCo earlier today."  
The other two nodded.  
Linda got up from her chair and sped away. Within seconds, she was clad into shoes and her leather jacket.   
She handed Mikhail the motorcycle helmet for kids, which they had acquired recently.

The three walked out together and in front of the appartement, they had to part ways.   
"Alright. Have fun in your first day.", Nia smiled at Mikhail, giving him a fistbump. Then she turned to Linda and gave her a kiss on the lips. "And I'll see you later at CatCo."  
Linda nodded, smiling softly. "I love you."  
"I love you too.", Nia responded happily.   
At that, she made her way over to her car while Linda and Mikhail walked over to the motorcycle not too far away either.

"Hold on tight.", Linda said, waiting a few more seconds for Mikhail to strengthen the grip around her torso before starting the engine and driving off.  
The way to the school wasn't very far. They arrived after just a few minutes. 

As they both dismounted the motorcycle, Linda felt as though her heart grew heavy. She knew it was silly. She would see him again in a few hours, he wasn't going to get hurt in there. Everything was fine, yet she couldn't help the feeling of dismay that overcame her when she fully digested the fact that she'd have to leave without him.   
She pushed the feeling aside however when she noticed that Mikhail seemed to grow nervous now as well. 

She knelt down in front of him and took his hands into her's. She put on a reassuring smile for the both of them. "It's gonna be okay. You're a brave boy."  
"I would much rather go with you and Nia again.", he admitted with a sigh.  
Linda bit her lip. That statement was almost enough to just make her cave in and take him back with her to CatCo but she knew that he really needed to do this. It would be good for him. "I know. But hey, I'm sure it's gonna be great. And if anything happens, all you have to do is call me and I'll be right here to pick you up, okay?"

Mikhail smiled and nodded.   
Linda returned the gesture and was curtly started when he pulled out his hands from her's and instead threw his arms around her. She wrapped her own arms around his body until he was ready to let go.   
Then she stood up and watched as he marched towards the building, joining the other kids which were all forming a crowd already as they entered the school. 

Linda sighed as Mikhail disappeared amongst the other kids and turned back to her motorcycle. One last glance at the school which had closed it's doors behind the last few children by now and then she drove off to get to CatCo.

There, she plopped down between her desk, staring at the space in front her. Very much unmotivated.   
Then, just like this morning as well, arms wrapped around her.  
"So you both managed to get away from each other despite both of your separation anxiety?", Nia teased.  
Linda chuckled. "Yeah. But it wasn't easy. I just have to try to remind myself that this will be good for him. To be around other kids..."  
Nia nodded and nudged the side of Linda's head with her nose. "He's a great kid. He'll have a bunch of friends in no time, I'm sure."  
Linda smiled, agreeing quietly.

After a few more minutes, Nia returned to her own workspace again.  
And though, Linda was constantly trying to convince herself that she didn't have to worry and that Mikhail would be fine, she couldn't help but glance at the clock every five minutes - yearning for the time when she could get out of CatCo and pick the boy up from school.   
Though she surprisingly still got quite a lot of work done.  
That didn't stop her from basically jumping to her feet as soon as it was time for her to go though. She had to pull herself together not to break into too fast steps which would probably draw attention to her and she wanted to avoid.

Just a few minutes later, she was on her way to the school. As she arrived, a few other parents as well as school busses were already there.  
When the first kids came out of the building, she started looking out for Mikhail. Not much later, she could spot him. He was walking with another boy and a girl, apparently siblings as they looked very alike and also went to the same adult once they had said goodbye to Mikhail by doing a high-five.

Then Mikhail turned around, seemingly scanning the space until his eyes fell on Linda, who gave him a small wave, and his face broke into a big goofy grin.   
He fastened his steps as he moved closer.  
"Hi.", Linda greeted him with a smile after he had once again, just as he did before, wrapped his arms around her torso. "How was your first day?"  
"It was great! I made two friends!", he said excitedly, pointing at the car in which the two other children had disappeared in.   
"That's amazing, Mikhail.", Linda grinned, not being able to resist ruffling his hair. He responded with an offended gasp but it was so painfully obvious that he was only playing pretend that the blonde laughed and shook her head. "Come on, let's go."

Mikhail didn't need to hear that twice. He happily took the helmet she was handing him and climbed back onto the space behind her on the motorcycle, holding onto her waist from behind.


	43. Chapter 57B

After quite a lot of events in the past weeks, the Superfriends decided to bring back some sort of normality again. And what better way to do that than game night?  
They had all collected in Lena's and Kara's appartement as that was by far the biggest one of all of them.   
They teamed up into pairs for an upcoming card game.   
The guys stuck together of course, then there were the three couples as well who all teamed up together. Mikhail was placed with Linda and Nia, being seated in between them.

Lena had meanwhile made herself comfortable on Kara's crossed legs, sitting on the floor. The latter used that opportunity more than once to steal the one or other neck or cheek kiss, which made Lena giggle curtly every single time, though she had gotten used to the small forms of affection which Kara showed every now and then. She was still overjoyed everytime she did.

As they played, they also held some small talk. Talking about all kinds of things until they suddenly dove into a conversation about how Linda and Nia should take some time to themselves and go on a date. One little look at the boy next to them was enough of a response. A very clear 'we don't want to leave him alone for so long'.  
Lena was actually the first to reply, surprising not only herself but the other Superfriends as well. "Kara and I can babysit."  
There was a little bit of silence for a while. Then Linda and Nia looked at each other and at Mikhail. They all did the same kind of shrug before turning back to Kara and Lena and agreeing to the offer.  
After that they continued their games, jokes and smalltalk.

At one point though, it became apparent that Mikhail was now more mentally occupied by going to school and having to do homework on a daily basis. Which meant that sleeping was becoming a more and more needed aspect for him.   
Because while they were still all playing and having fun, Mikhail's started growing heavier and he started yawning more often. After a while, his head simply fell to the side, resting against Linda's arm.

The blonde blinked a few times at the sudden body contact and looked down, her mouth forming an 'o'-shape.  
The Superfriends tried holding back their laughter - the sight was just very adoring and fun to look at. 

"I think we should head home.", Nia said quietly, looking at the boy. "He does need some sleep. School night, you know."  
Linda simply nodded in response.   
The two women threw the rest of the Superfriends goodbye waves before getting up. Linda steadied Mikhail, making sure he didn't fall as he was still half asleep when he got to his feet. Finally, she simply lifted him up - superstrength came in handy at times like these. The average woman would probably not be able to carry a kid his age - or well perhaps she could but not as effortlessly. 

His chin on her shoulder his arms dangling against her back, she began walking to the door which Nia went to open and hold for her. They both smiled a last time at their friends who were all obviously enamoured by the sight.   
Having a kid in their circle really was a delight. The last time that had happened was with Sam and Ruby. 

The three now left and Nia closed the door behind them, before helping out again by opening the car door this time.   
Linda climbed in, placing one hand on the back of Mikhail head to guarantee that she wouldn't accidentally bump it against anything in the narrow space of the backseat. She settled down, letting the boy rest his head against her shoulder again.  
Nia meanwhile slid into the driver's seat, looking back at the two and breaking into a soft smile. Linda raised her head at her and responded with a smile herself before returning her attention back to the sleeping child who was cuddled against her.

When they arrived at their own appartement, the same procedure started again - out of the car and up the stairs to the appartement, they went. Nia unlocked the door, letting them in.  
Linda carried Mikhail into his room, seating him down on the bed and rushing back and forth with her superspeed until he was clad into his pajamas.  
Not a minute later, he was cuddled under the blanket, the red fuzzy blanket to be exact, and into the pillows - fast asleep as if they hadn't just made an entire trip home.   
Linda stayed on the edge of the bed for while, watching the way his chest peacefully rose and fell, listened to his steady breath and calm heartbeat.   
Sometimes, like now, she regretted that she hadn't been able to be there for him like this before. Though it wasn't her fault as she hadn't known he was still alive.  
She just wished she could have spent more time with him, could have been there for him when his mother died and in the time after that.   
She planned to make up for the lost time. She wanted him to lead the happiest life he could possibly have, she wanted to give that to him.

She was so entranced by the boy that she didn't notice Nia slowly coming closer and leaning against the doorframe. The brunette watched her with a soft smile.   
She watched as Linda studied Mikhail's face with care and adoration. As Linda raised her hand to gently stroke the kid's hair and as she seemed to hesitate a little before finally leaning over and pressing a soft kiss on his forehead.  
Linda returned to her formed sitting position, looking at him for a few more seconds until she turned her head to the doorway. Apparently she had taken notice of the other presence at last.  
She smiled sheepishly, shot a last glance at the boy and then cautiously stood up to make her way over to Nia. 

After closing the door, she turned her full attention to her and tilted her head at Nia's facial expression.   
"What?", she whispered.  
"Nothing.", Nia grinned, slinging her arms around Linda's neck. "It's just... You look so much like a mom, with the way you act with him. It's adorable. And beautiful. I like seeing that side of you."  
The blonde blushed a little, the corners of her lips lifting themselves. She glanced down. "Really?"  
"Yeah.", Nia nodded with a quiet laugh. Linda smirked, looking back up again and leaning forward for a kiss. Nia chuckled against her lips and as they pulled away, she rose an eyebrow suggestively. "Maybe we should get to bed as well."  
Linda didn't need to hear that twice. With a swift motion, her hands glid down her sides and caught Nia's hips as the brunette jumped up and wrapped her legs around her torso.  
Just a second later, they had disappeared into the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I tried making chapters for the other one as well but I'm simply way too busy. I can barely manage one chapter a day, so unfortunately I'll just put up chapters on this one for a while. Hopefully I'll be able to continue the other one at some point.   
> For now, I gotta catch up here. You'll get several chapters at once now.


	44. Chapter 58B

"Alright, so just don't tell Lena. She'd never let me hear the end of it if she found out that in the short time she's gone grocery shopping, I let you convince me to eat ice cream. Especially so shortly before dinner. She's pretty strict about that. She'd probably make me eat kale for a week.", Kara explained with a shudder to Mikhail as she placed a bowl of ice cream in front of his face which instantly lit up. "She can be pretty scary and intimidating. Though she's the complete opposite in the be-"  
Kara slapped a hand in front of her mouth to interrupt herself. She really just almost talked to a kid about her and Lena's sex life. That wouldn't just have been awkward and uncomfortable but probably also pretty irresponsible.  
Luckily enough, Mikhail didn't seem to have understood what she had meant to say and simply tilted his head at her. 

"You know what, forget it.", Kara said. "Let's just eat."  
They talked a little - Kara told a bit about the first weeks she had shared with Linda as a sister since the boy was interested in knowing more about what she had been like back then. She had already matured a lot over the last year.  
Then, Mikhail told her about his first week of school. Since it was the weekend now, it hadn't been a problem to spend the day with Kara and Lena. It was actually quite good that he got to know them better as well.  
In the late afternoon, Lena had decided to get some groceries for dinner.  
And shortly after, Mikhail had begun to coerce Kara into eating some ice cream which she had given into pretty fast. So now they were eating and talking.

Suddenly though, Kara listened up, her head jerking to the door and her eyes widening. "Oh, crap, she's coming.", she whispering and after a gush of wind, the bowls were gone. Just as she arrived back on her seat, the door opened and Lena walked in.  
"Hey, sunshine!", Kara beamed.   
"What are you so chipper about?", Lena asked with a chuckle as she placed down the grocery bags. Then she seemed to halt in her movement and turned to the two, raising an eyebrow. "Wait a second."

"Hm?", Kara made, trying to look as innocent as possible.  
Lena walked closer, eyebrow still perked up. She stopped in front of the counter, on the opposite side of where Kara and Mikhail sat. She narrowed her eyes. "You had ice cream, didn't you?"  
Kara's jaw dropped and she started spluttering. "Wh-Wha-? Nooo. Why would we-? We're gonna have dinner soon and- Why would you think that?"

"Well first of all, the way you reacted just now is a dead give-away.", Lena smirked. "And secondly-"  
She leaned over and gently brushed her thumb across Mikhail's upper lip with a smile before showing her finger to Kara. "And secondly, he's got ice cream on his lip. Which usually only happens when one has eaten it shortly before."

Kara sighed theatralically and let her head drop onto her arms which were crossed on the table. She glanced over at Mikhail, her look clearly stating .  
"Okay, yeah. But in my defense, he has amazing puppy eyes. I thought I was good at puppy eyes but you should see his! It's impossible to resist!", Kara whined as she straightened herself again.  
The boy obviously had a hard time stiffling his laughter and Lena couldn't quite help the grin on her face either.

The brunette shook her head and then gave a little shrug. "Well, I guess we can also just skip dinner and finish the tub of ice cream."  
While Mikhail threw up his arms in excitement, Kara's face had dropped.  
"What? So you'll make that exception for him but when I suggest something like that, all I get is a raised eyebrow?", Kara asked, completely flabbergasted.   
"Yes because for him, it actually is an exception. Because in contrary to you, darling, he actually enjoys a healthy meal most of the time.", Lena replied.  
Watching their bickering, Mikhail seemed to be torn between amusement and discomfort - though, the amusement quickly won.

"Besides, you need to learn discipline. I don't want our future children to be pumped up with junk food, just because their mom doesn't know how to eat healthy.", Lena said, already getting bowls out of the cabinet.  
Kara stared at her, wide eyes and with an open mouth. "You... you think we're gonna have kids together?"  
Lena froze for a few seconds, only hesitantly turning around. "Oh, I... I don't know, I didn't think when I spoke. I mean I'd like- I mean, would you...?"  
Kara broke into a grin. "I'd love that."  
Lena released a relieved breath and smiled.  
The boy was meanwhile glancing back and forth between them. He could tell that this was a rather special moment and he felt sort of out of place.

The two women seemed to realise that as well and snapped out of it, placing their focus back on Mikhail.   
After they had finished eating, they went to the couch area and decided to play some card games until Linda and Nia would arrive to pick the kid back up.  
This happened roughly an hour later.

Before Kara even had the chance to get up, Mikhail had already jumped up and and opened the door. He greeted the two women with a hug - slinging his arms around both of them at once, making both smile.  
Kara and Lena joined now too, greeting them with smiles.

"Thanks again for taking care of him.", Linda said softly, as she stroked over Mikhail's hair before the boy then finally pulled away from the tight embrace.  
"Oh that was nothing really. He was basically an angel.", Kara grinned.   
Mikhail looked up at Linda. "Can they take care of me again some time?"  
"Sure.", Linda laughed. 

"Alright, kiddo, we'll see you see then.", Kara said, about to raise her hand for a high-five when she was surprised with a rather strong embrace around her torso. She chuckled, looking down at Mikhail and rubbing her hand over his back curtly. "It was nice having you here."  
Lena watched the scene with a soft smile. After Mikhail had pulled away, she got ready to say goodbye as well. However she too instead received a hug.  
Other than Kara who was used to hugs from children as there were many Supergirl fans who would run up to her every now and then, Lena wasn't exactly familiar with the touch of children. The closest she ever got to a child was when Ruby Arias seemingly accepted her as an aunt.   
But she definitely couldn't say she minded the affection. 

As Mikhail pulled away from her as well, he joined Linda and Nia again, giving them one last big toothy grin and a wave which Kara and Lena returned with a laugh.   
Linda and Nia both gave the other two a short hug as well before then leaving all together. 

After Kara closed the door, she giggled again. "Well, I guess we're pretty good aunties."  
"Yeah, seems like it.", Lena chuckled.  
Kara bit her lip, smiling softly. "Pretty sure we're gonna be quite decent mommies too one day."  
The corner's of Lena's lips twitched upwards as she looked to her feet with blushed cheeks.   
She raised her head again when Kara slung her arms around her waist, pulling her close. "I love you, sunshine."  
"I love you too, darling."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Babysitting ^-^


	45. Chapter 59B

As it had already been quite late when Linda and Nia had picked Mikhail up from Kara's and Lena's place, it didn't take much longer until it was time for him to go to bed. Considering that he'd need to be well-rested for school the next day.  
Like every night, Linda continued to sit at Mikhail's bedside for a little while longer before getting out of the room.

She walked over to the couch and plopped down next to Nia. The latter raised an eyebrow at her expression.  
"What's wrong? You look like you've just been told you're never gonna get Oreos again."  
Linda looked at her and brought up a small chuckle. "That's a funny comparison."  
Nia rolled her eyes with a smile before shifting a little so she could look at the blonde better. She grabbed her hand. "No, seriously, I can tell something's up."  
Linda sighed, glancing down at their hands, as Nia was gently playing around with her fingers. "It's... I thought after everything we've already been through and... Mikhail going to school now, it would get easier. Not to be around him. And I know it would probably not be too good to be around each other all the time but it's just- It's still hard."

"I know.", Nia whispered, running a finger along the inside of Linda's hand. "Maybe a little talk with Kelly could help? I mean, that sounds a lot like some form of PTSD. From thinking you'd lost each other, you know."  
Linda nodded, almost absent-mindly.   
Nia watched her a few more seconds, then she abruptly jumped up, making Linda raise her eyebrows.   
"What are you doing?"  
"We need to lift the mood up a little.", Nia exclaimed, looking through her phone before grinning and placing it on the table as music started playing.  
She stretched out her hands expectantly.

( [The song](https://youtu.be/WcsGV6fP0D4) )

Linda blinked a few times. Then she took them and let Nia pull her up to her feet as well.  
They were just swaying to the music and swinging their arms, every now and then spinning a little but after a while Linda couldn't help but smile. Especially when it became apparent that the main theme of the song had to with dreams. Of course Nia wouldn't have been able to resist a dream pun, even in something as simple as the choice of a song.

They were only interrupted when the door of Mikhail's door opened. They stopped moving and giggling to look over.  
"Oh god sorry, were we too loud?", Nia asked worriedly.  
Mikhail shook his head. "No, I just can't sleep."  
Linda and Nia looked at each other and made a silent agreement. They let go of one hand and both stretched out their arms in his direction.  
He grinned and skipped closer, taking their hands.  
Not really knowing how exactly to dance with three people, they just slowly spun around, holding hands.   
They laughed, pretty much carefree at the moment - enjoying being together.

Then however loud explosion made all three flinch and Linda's kryptonian, and therefore sound-sensitive, ears ring.  
Mikhail had instinctively reached over and wrapped his arms around Linda's torso, hiding his face in her sweater. The sound triggered memories of bombs in Kasnia - such as the one which was planted by Otis Graves and caused the destruction of his home.

Though the pain in Linda's ears was so intense that it was even making her eye sight slightly blurry, she tried concentrating and pulled Mikhail closer.   
Nia had scooted closer as well, lifting one arm around him as well while placing the other hand on Linda's back, seemingly taking notice of the after-effects on her well-being.

When Linda finally felt like she could see and hear properly again, though she was still a little out of it, she just shot Nia a simple look. But the brunette understood instantly. Red Daughter had to help at the scene of events - people could be hurt or in mortal danger. 

Linda gently unwrapped Mikhail's arms from her waist and leaned down to look at him. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were ripped open wide. Apparently close to a panic attack - the sound having triggered far deeper emotions than just getting startled.   
His facial expression tore at her heart and she'd like nothing more than just stay there and comfort him but as already established, people most likely needed help. Immediate help. 

She softly stroked over his cheek and explained in a quick mumble that she had to leave. That Nia would protect him and take care of him while she was gone.   
She looked up at the brunette who nodded fiercely and took a step closer to the boy, putting her arms around his shoulders.   
Mikhail glanced at Linda desperately for a second, then he allowed himself to instead fall into Nia's embrace. Because he understood of course that Linda had to go, that she had no other choice but to go.

The blonde released a shaky breath before letting her suit materialise and shooting out of the appartement.  
She could already see thick smoke erupting in the distance as well as flames.  
She sped up and after a few seconds she arrived at the scene. The building which had caught on fire was a small hotel.

Kara was already present and trying to stabilize a part of the building which was quickly breaking apart from the rest and was threatening to crash to the ground - which would have possibly catastrophic consequences.  
"Ah there you are. We seem to have a gas leak near the kitchen and then there was an explosion and well-"  
"Boom.", Linda finished.  
"Yeah. By the way, you're late.", she exclaimed with a teasing smile.   
Linda flew closer to help her out. "Sorry, I was out of it for a sec. It was so loud. And Mikhail was terrified. That was such bad timing, we were having a really good time."  
"I get that. Lena and I were in the middle of something, if you get what I mean. I flinched so badly that I almost broke her nose.", Kara admitted.  
Linda rose an eyebrow. "Wow."  
"I know.", she responded, looking at the building and cautiously distancing herself from the wall. "Alright, that seems to be fixated. How about I fly in, get the people out and you try distinguishing the flames?"

Linda nodded and flew upwards to get a better overview and have a better angle while Kara began rushing in and out of the building, bringing one after the other to safety.   
She was getting a pretty grip at the flames when suddenly Kara appeared next to her again, a little girl in her arms who was struggling terribly against her hold. No older than maybe 4 years old.  
"I'm pretty sure I got everyone out. She was the last. Well, she was with a babysitter but I already brought that one to safety. But this little one here won't stop fighting me. I think she's looking for her mom but I don't know. You can help out.", Kara stated. At Linda's tilted head, she added: "She speaks russian."

"Ah.", Linda just made and flew closer. She scratched her head curtly, then just greeted her in russian.   
The girl instantly stopped moving and stared at her, obviously intrigued. Then she opened her little arms in her direction and, slightly overwhelmed, Linda took her instead into her arms. She glanced at Kara, who nodded, and then asked her where her mother was.  
The girl babbled in agitation and Linda listened closely.

As the girl finished, Linda bit her lip.  
"What is it?", Kara asked.   
Linda swallowed and looked at her. "She says her mom works in the hotel and she was having a shift when the explosion went off.", she sighed in worry. "She works in the kitchen."  
"Crap.", Kara whispered, stemming her hands into her sides.   
If her mother really had been in the place where the explosion went off, then there was little to no chance that she survived.

Kara ran a hand through her hair. "I mean... I can look one last time. I'm pretty sure I got everyone out but... maybe...", she trailed off.  
Linda simply nodded.  
Kara supersped back into the building while Linda slowly lowered herself and the girl in her arms to the ground. 

She didn't really know what to do with her. She got along well with Mikhail since they had a connection from day one. But she had never really managed to have a good understanding of other children - especially not ones who were this young.   
She was just kind of trying to rock the girl a little and rubbed over her back, hoping to keep her calm.

Then she picked up a voice several feet away and frowned. She turned her head to see a young woman frantically running around, speaking to random people, mostly firemen or police officers.   
Linda tilted her head and turned around completely before pointing at the women and glancing at the little girl, asking her whether that was her mother.

The way the girl's face lit up and the way she excitedly clapped her little hands together was enough of an answer.  
Linda released a relieved breath and took quick steps forward.  
"Hey!", she exclaimed, trying to draw the woman's attention to her. "Excuse me!"  
The woman finally raised her head at her and seemed overwhelmed with emotion.   
Linda let the girl down who then instantly wobbled towards her mother. There, she was tightly embraced.

Linda watched the scene with a smile, being reminded of the moment she found Mikhail.  
A gush of wind next to her announced her sister's arrival.   
"I didn't find anyone else, I- Hey, where's the girl?"  
Linda smirked, making a head movement in the direction of the two. "I guess she was already outside when the explosion happened."  
Kara placed a hand on her chest. "Oh, thank Rao."

They stayed a little while longer to make sure everything and everyone was alright before deciding to get back home.  
They hugged curtly but tightly before both took off to get to their respective appartements.  
Kara returned to her girlfriend who was still dressed in nothing more than dessous and lay on the bed, just now under the blankets. Kara grinned, letting the suit de-materialise and getting on the bed as well where she leaned down to kiss Lena.

Meanwhile Linda found Nia and Mikhail in the living room, wrapped in the red fuzzy blanket.   
Nia sat sideways on the couch. Mikhail was seated in between her legs, leaning against her upper body while one of her hands was stroking his shoulder. In the other hand, she held her phone, apparently she was showing him something in hopes of distracting him. And it seemed to be working quite well. 

Linda smiled and after de-materalising her suit, she stepped closer and sat down at the other end of the couch. They both looked up when they noticed her.  
"Hey. Everything okay?", she asked softly.  
They nodded in unison.   
"Took a while but yeah. Everything's fine, we got through it.", Nia responded with a smile, running a hand through Mikhail's hair.   
Linda watched in adoration. She loved the fact that Nia and Mikhail were starting to grow closer as well. 

"That's good.", Linda whispered, reaching over and giving Mikhail's hand a slight squeeze. She got up a little to press a kiss on Nia's forehead.   
As she sat back down, they shifted around on the couch until the two women were sitting on either side of Mikhail, so the three could cuddle up together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pretty long one actually! Almost twice as many words as usual.


	46. Chapter 60B

Linda looked up from the documents on her desk to the clock on the wall, finding it was time to pick Mikhail up.  
It was really useful that her sister's girlfriend owned the building and one of their closest friends was their boss. Not only did it enable her and Kara to disappear every now and then in case of an emergency which requested Supergirl and Red Daughter but it also made it possible for her to leave that tiny needed bit earlier to be able to be at the school in time.

Linda got up from her chair, finishing everything up before grabbing her leather jacket and making her way out of the building. On her way, she went by Nia's desk, taking the extra gew seconds to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.  
Then she left CatCo, mounting her motorcycle and driving off to Mikhail's school.

As always, she waited out front for the boy to come out of the building. Soon enough he did. But there was something off.  
He wasn't smiling and his friends were only giving him a short pat on the shoulder as a goodbye.  
He didn't even have any proper reaction when he saw Linda who waved at her. He just came closer, unexcitedly.

The blonde frowned. "Hey. Is something wrong?"  
"No. Just... a bad day.", he said. "I just wanna go home."  
Linda opened her mouth but closed it again and nodded instead. "Okay. Come on."  
She placed her hand on his back, leading him to the motorcycle.

When they arrived home and went towards the front door, they met Nia who smiled at them as a greeting.  
As they went inside, Mikhail just mumbled something about doing his homework and disappeared in his room.  
Linda didn't even get the chance to respond anything. She looked at the door with a frown for a while.  
Nia was obviously confused as well. "What's up with him?"  
"I don't know.", Linda said quietly. "He's been like that since I picked him up."  
"Huh.", Nia made. "Maybe just some puberty-induced mood swings? Let's just leave him alone for a while and see if he comes around."  
Linda nodded silently.

For a while, they followed that advice. However as hours passed by, both of them grew more and more worried and unsettled.   
Finally, Linda got up to peak into his room, asking him to come out to talk. Mikhail complied rather reluctantly and was seated down at the table. Linda and Nia took place at either side of him.  
The boy fumbled with the rim of his sweater, staring down at his lap.

"So... what happened?", Linda asked.  
Mikhail stayed quiet for a while, apparently debating whether he could attempt to deny that something happened. He seemed to realise that it wouldn't have any use though. He sighed. "There's... there's some kids at school. They're... mocking me."  
Linda's face fell. "What?"  
"What for?", Nia added, scrunching her eyebrows.  
"Because-", Mikhail interrupted himself, biting his lip and taking a deep breath. He avoided eye contact by all costs. "Because of... my accent."

Linda jumped to her feet abruptly, pacing back and forth in the space behind the chairs.  
Nia just sat quietly, a hand on the boy's shoulder, drawing circles with her thumb, while watching her girlfriend.   
At last, Linda sat back down. "Okay. So here's what we're gonna do. Red Daughter, Supergirl and Dreamer are going to pay them a visit and give them a lecture. Let's see how brave they are when there's a superhero with the same kind of accent at the scene. We-"

"No, don't do that. Please. It's just gonna make things worse.", Mikhail said, looking up at her.   
Nia bit her lip. "I think I have to agree there. Having three superheroes turn up to defend a single boy would be sweet but it's also pretty suspicious. One would be understandable but I don't even think that's gonna really stop them either. Kids do what they want."

Linda ran her hands through her hair, frustration clear on her face. "Well, there's gotta be something, I mean-"  
Nia, who had noticed how Mikhail was starting to grow more uncomfortable, quietly told him to just go back into his room and waited until he was gone before standing up and getting closer to Linda.  
She gently placed her hands on her upper arms, rubbing them up and down to calm her down. "Hey, we're gonna figure something out, alright? We can call the school and talk to the teachers. Since they're directly at the scene, they are able to do much more than we can."

Linda released a shaky breath. "I just- I- I have to do something. I have to protect him. I can't let him get hurt, I-", she stuttered, desperately. "He's my kid, Nia. He's _our_ kid."  
Nia felt touched at that but she had to concentrate on the matter at hand. "I know. I don't want to see him get hurt either. And we're going to make this right, okay?"  
The blonde sighed and nodded.   
Nia pulled her into a hug and softly kissed her cheek. 

After a few seconds, they coaxed Mikhail back out of his room by offering to watch a movie together.  
They got cuddled together on the couch, turned to the TV. They weren't even halfway through though when Kara texted Nia, asking for help on a case regarding an article.   
"We're gonna wait up for you.", Linda promised.  
Nia smiled softly. "That's nice but you don't have to. Who knows how long this is gonna take?"  
"Oh no, we will. Right?", she asked, looking down at the boy who had cuddled up to her arm.   
Mikhail nodded fiercely, fully agreeing.  
Nia chuckled. "Alright then. See you later."

However when she did return much later in the evening, she found both of them asleep on the couch, in the dark. The only light came from the TV which was still turned on.   
Linda was in a sitting position, head in a rather unnatural position against the backrest. If she had been human, Nia would've been worried that she'd get neck problems in the morning but her kryptonian DNA would prevent that from happening.   
Mikhail was meanwhile rolled together next to her, his head in her lap.   
Linda's hand on his arm indicated that she must have been gently stroking his arm before falling asleep. 

Nia watched the scene for a while, not being able to help the smile on her face. With each day, the two grew closer and closer. And Linda became more and more of a parental figure to Mikhail. Apparently the blonde saw them both as parental figures though.   
_< He's my kid, Nia. He's **our** kid.>_  
Nia smiled to herself. She had not really ever considered having a child. Her main focus the last years had been becoming a reporter, something she had wanted for a long time.   
She wouldn't have imagined that she would live with a child in her mid-twenties already. Especially one of this age. But looking at the two now, she couldn't think of anything that would give her more joy. 

Nia walked closer now, thinking about waking them up so they could get into their actual beds but in the end, she decided against it, not wanting to disturb their peaceful sleep. If they woke up at some point this night, they could decide themselves whether they wanted to go to their respective rooms instead.  
She just took the red blanket from the other end of the couch and carefully draped it over the two.   
She leaned down to press a soft kiss onto Linda's forehead and gently ran a hand through Mikhail's hair before walking over to the bedroom to get to sleep as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tension arises once more


	47. Chapter 61B

Linda and Nia had both taken some time to go over to the coffee table for a little break and to steal a small moment together. Though they worked in the same room, they still sometimes felt way too far apart. They often tried taking at least a few minutes together to forget some of the stress.  
So now there they stood, at the coffee table, just talking a little, getting a little flirtatious.  
But the blonde just couldn't help but listen for Mikhail, who was at school again, with her other ear.  
She had been doing that every few minutes during the times she knew he was in recess. She just needed to make sure everything was alright.  
Just then she caught an extract of a conversation.

"Leave me alone.", she heard Mikhail's voice exclaim fiercely.   
That was all she needed to hear to feel the anger rise up inside her. Linda balled her fists.   
Nia looked down upon her hands, laying one of her own on top of her balled fist. "Lin, think before you act. Don't rush-"

"I'm sorry, I know we said we would find a way. But he needs me. Now. I'm not letting them hurt him.", she responded, gently lifting Nia's hand away from her own and walking away with quick steps.   
Not even a minute later, she had shot out of the building and towards the school.  
It only took her a few seconds to spot Mikhail. Three older kids stood in front of him with crossed arms, grinning maliciously.

"I mean, come on, it's pathetic!", one of them said just now.   
"No, it's not! And I'm not ashamed. I don't have to be, it's nothing shameful.", Mikhail countered firmly but his voice was shaking.  
Linda's jaw clenched and she landed abruptly behind him, making all eyes turn to her.

"That's not a very nice way to treat an innocent boy.", Linda said, making extra sure that her russian accent shone through.  
The kids just stared at her with open mouths. Obviously not having expected one of National City's heroes to arrive at the scene. They may be making fun of Mikhail's accent and would hence find her's ridiculous as well - however they were smart enough to know that they didn't stand the slightest chance against a kryptonian. That anything they tried would be useless.  
"What?", Linda asked, squinting her eyes. "Suddenly not so cheeky and brave anymore?"

The bullies just swallowed, glancing from Red Daughter to Mikhail and then each other before running off.  
Linda watched after them with crossed arms, nodding once in approval. Then she looked down at the boy. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah... Thank you.", Mikhail mumbled, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "You didn't need to do that."  
Linda raised an eyebrow. "Of course I did. When I heard them reading you, I had to come. No one gets to speak to you like that. Not if I can do anything about it."

Mikhail's head jerked up, he almost seemed to panic. "How much did you hear?"  
"Not much, just-... Why? What did they say?", Linda frowned.  
The boy seemed a little relieved and shrugged. "Oh, just... the usual. Um... But I'm not sure if that will actually end this now."  
"I think they'll leave you alone for today at least.", Linda said. "We'll see what we can do to put an end to it for good."  
Mikhail nodded. 

"By the way, since I'm here already, Kara and Lena invited us over for later. Alex and Kelly are coming too."  
"Okay.", he smiled a little. He glanced around, noticing that some kids were starting to stare. Linda noticed too and sighed.  
"I guess I'll go then. Are you gonna be okay?"  
"Yeah, I'll just look for my friends. They can't be far.", he replied.  
"Okay, I'll see you later then.", she said quietly, almost going in for a hug but stopping herself in time. A hug would draw way too much attention and possibly create suspicion. So she just placed her hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.   
"See you.", Mikhail smiled, watching after her as she took off.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[ Several hours later ]

The three Danvers sisters and their respective girlfriends, as well as Mikhail, had collected at 1961 Schaffenberger Way - Kara's and Lena's appartement. They just wanted to spend some nice time together, playing some games, eating a lot of sweets and junk food (much to Kara's delight) as well as just talking and telling each other about their recent days.   
Considering they were all in relationships and all living their significant other together, they didn't get to see each other too often anymore. Well, Kara, and sometimes Lena too when she did her occasional visit as the owner of the building, would see Linda and Nia at CatCo.   
They'd see Alex during missions or at the DEO.   
But none of that really felt satisfactory, since it was all always kind of a work environment.   
So they took the time to get together every once in a while.

At one point, Mikhail got up to get himself a glass of juice.   
However, it soon became apparent that he wasn't yet tall enough to reach the cabinet with the glasses. He stood on tiptoes and stretched his body. Though he came closer, it still wasn't enough.  
Then suddenly a hand reached up from behind, grabbing a glass.   
"Let me help you with that. Before you end up breaking a bone or something.", Alex grinned, handing the glass over.  
Mikhail smiled sheepishly, mumbling a Thank you.

Alex crossed her arms, leaning against the counter as she watched the boy fill up the glass.   
"You know, I heard you have some problems at school. With some of the other kids, to be exact.", she said quietly. "They're harrassing you?"  
Mikhail glanced down, nodding slightly. Then he turned his head to her. "I can handle it."  
"I have no doubts about that. But-", Alex said with a smirk. "-if you need like a special agent-" she motioned with her hands to herself. "-to go to those kids' houses and give them a lecture, I'm totally here for it."

Mikhail laughed at that statement, shaking his head.  
"I'm serious. I've done it before for Ruby Arias. I'll gladly do that again.", Alex shrugged. "Especially for you. We're family now after all."  
Mikhail smiled softly. "Thanks but... it's okay, I think. But I'll keep it in mind."  
Alex grinned, ruffling his hair. "Alright. Then let's get to the others, shall we?"  
He nodded and the oldest Danvers sister placed a hand on his upper back, leading him back to the couch area where they both sat back down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Auntie Alex ;)


	48. Chapter 62B

A few days went by without another occurance of any sort. However that should soon change.   
They were at CatCo once more when Linda suddenly got a call which created an uneasy feeling. Nia, who had gone over to her desk to check in on her, asked who it was since her girlfriend's expression made it seem quite serious.

Linda frowned. "It's the school."  
"What could they want?", Nia wondered.   
Linda shrugged cluelessly, almost a little nervous and answered the phone.   
"Hello?", she said. She waited for the reply which came soon after. "Yeah, it's Linda Danvers."  
She listened for a while. Her facial expression shifted.  
"What? Is he hurt? What-?", she asked, with wide eyes. "Of course, I'll be right there."

She hung up, jumping to her feet.  
Nia looked at her confused. "What's going on?"  
"Mikhail was involved in a fight. A physical fight.", she responded, obviously tense. "It must have been those other kids again. I swear if they hurt him-"  
"Hey, relax. Just get there and take care of Mikhail.", Nia said softly, rubbing her hands over the blonde's arms.   
Linda nodded. "Can you-"  
"Of course I'll explain why you had to go. James will understand."  
Linda nodded again and gave her a quick kiss. "Thank you."  
Then she left with fast steps and made her way to the school.

As soon as she spotted Mikhail, she rushed towards him and pulled him into a hug. "Are you okay? What happened?"  
When she pulled away again, she leaned down to look at him, feeling her heart sink at the way the skin around his right eye was turning blue. She gently touched his cheek. "What did they do to you?", she asked softly. 

"More like what did he do to them. He was the one to throw the first punch.", the teacher, who had been standing next to Mikhail the whole time, exclaimed suddenly.   
Linda looked up and frowned. She straightened herself, protectively placing an arm around Mikhail's shoulders. "That can't be right. He's a good kid. He wouldn't hurt anyone. The others are the ones hurting him."  
"We're aware of the bullying, Ms Danvers, and I can assure you we're doing our best to work this out. But we can't tolerate violence. It's not a justifiable response. And there are several eye witnesses who can confirm that Mikhail was the one to start the fight."

Linda blinked a few times before looking down at the boy. He was staring at the ground, avoiding eye contact.   
"Is that true?", she asked with a frown.  
Mikhail sighed and nodded lightly.   
Linda didn't know how to react. She knelt down in front of him, gently taking his hands. "But why would you do that? That's not like you at all, I-"  
"They were provoking me.", he said through gritted teeth. "I couldn't let them keep saying that stuff."

"And we're sorry for that.", the teacher said softly. "We have a pretty open-minded and accepting environment. We didn't think that... this topic would still be an issue."  
"What topic? Racism? You can say the word.", Linda exclaimed, annoyed.   
The teacher seemed genuinely confused. "Racism? What does that have to do with it?"  
Linda raised an eyebrow. "They're making fun of his accent.", she replied. At the teacher's facial expression, she grew unsure though. She looked back at Mikhail who was biting his lip. "That's what you told me."

"Mikhail...", the man sighed. "You shouldn't lie about something like this. You should tell her."  
"Tell me what?", Linda wanted to know, glancing back and forth between the two, growing frustrated. "Will someone please tell me what's going on?"  
Mikhail shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "They weren't making fun of me because of my accent. They were making fun of me because of... something else-"  
Then he finally explained. And with each word, Linda felt her heart grow heavier and heavier. 

After getting over the immediate shock, she exchanged a few more words with the teacher who was very sorry to say that Mikhail had to be suspended for three days. He personally understood why the boy did what he did and wouldn't want to punish him for defending himself but it was the headmaster's decision and he couldn't do anything about it. He tried to console them by explaining that the bullies were facing a much longer suspension though. 

Finally they went home.  
Upon arriving there, they sat down on the couch, in silence. Waiting for Nia to get home as well.  
When she did, she was pretty surprised to see them, just sitting there, with their folded hands in their laps.  
"Hey.", she just said, cautiously, as she pulled off her shoes. "Everything okay so far? What was going on?

"Do you want to tell her or should I?", Linda asked quietly.  
Mikhail stayed silent, just curtly looked up at her. The blonde nodded.   
She stood up from the couch and started pacing once more just like she did the first time they had a conversation like this, sighing and making eye contact with Nia who was growing more and more confused about the whole situation.

"Those kids at school aren't making fun of him because of his accent. They're making fun of him because he's living with two women.", Linda exclaimed bitterly. "And because both of my sisters live with women as well. Because-"  
She interrupted herself, sighing deeply and pinching the bridge of her nose.

Nia blinked. "Oh. Oh my god.", she said. "But- why didn't you say anything?"  
"I just... I wanted to be brave. Like you two.", he said, hanging his head.  
Linda ran her head through her hair. "Just because we punch the bad guys, doesn't mean you should too. The people we're dealing with cannot be dealt with any other way.", the blonde sighed, crossing her arms, still walking up and down the narrow space between couch and wall. "You could have talked to us."  
"I didn't want you to worry. Or to feel guilty.", he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Linda stopped pacing abruptly, uncrossing her arms. Her face instantly softened as she sat back down next to him, laying a hand on his arm. "Mikhail, you don't ever have to be afraid of something like that. You can talk to me about anything. To me, your feelings will always come before my own. It's only important that you are okay."

Nia stepped closer, sitting down as well, on his other side. She took his hand, drawing circles on the back of it with her thumb. "I second that."  
Mikhail looked from one to the other, swallowing hardly. Finally he nodded.   
Linda gently ran a hand through his hair before embracing him in a side hug. At first Nia just sat by but after a few seconds she too leaned forward to put her arms around the boy. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
[A few hours later]

Linda slowly opened the door, peaking in. Mikhail sat in his bed, the lamp on his nightstand giving him enough light to read. He looked up when he noticed Linda.   
The blonde gave a little smile before stepping in and closing the door behind her. She came closer to sit down on the edge of his bed.  
There, she just sat in silence for a while, fidgeting with her fingers.   
"Are you sure you're okay?", she asked finally.   
"Yeah. It's good to know that I don't have to pretend anymore.", he responded, playing with the rim of his blanket.

"Like I said, you don't ever have to feel like you need to lie about something to protect my feelings. You-", she said with a little force as she put up her index finger to his chest, gently tapping it. "-come first. You'll always come first."  
Mikhail smiled a little, nodding.  
Linda returned the gesture.   
Then she looked down again, closing her eyes for a second. When she raised her head again, she bit her lip. "Just, um... Don't tell Nia what those kids said about her, okay? She liked to pretend like words like that don't bother her too much but... I've seen what it does to her. They cut her deeper than she'd like to admit."  
Mikhail grew serious as well. "I won't tell her. I don't want to hurt her. I really like her."

Linda released a shaky breath before opening her arms. Mikhail accepted the hug quickly. The blonde hesitated a little but then pressed a little kiss on his hairline before they pulled away.   
She gently stroked through his hair.   
" _спокойной ночи_ , Mikhail.", she whispered. [" _Sleep well_."]  
Mikhail nodded, turning off the light and getting under the covers.

Linda was already at the door when she heard him speak once more. "Lin?"  
She turned back around, looking at him.  
Mikhail seemed nervous, fumbling with the rim of his blanket again.  
During the next words, his voice turned a little high-pitched and he spoke very fast. A normal human might not have understood him. "I love you."  
For a short second, Linda felt frozen into place, not quite believing what she heard. Then a bright smile spread upon her face. She felt a few happy tears burning in her eyes.  
"I love you too, Mikhail.", she responded softly.


	49. Chapter 63B

A few days had passed since the incident at school, which had revealed the real reason why Mikhail was getting harrassed by some of his classmates.   
And which was also followed with a three day suspension for violence. 

Of course Kara and Lena, as well as Alex and Kelly all heard about it during their next meeting together.   
Kelly tried to be reasonable and explained in a real psychologist way how bullies most often were dealing with immense problems themselves, especially if it concerned something such as homophobia - often connected to internalised homophobia against themselves, for example.

Meanwhile Kara had to calm down Alex and Lena and basically hold them back by the edges of their shirts so they wouldn't instantly jump up and go over to the kids' houses without any sort of hesitation.  
With a very long and heavy sigh, she exclaimed that no, they could not "throw hands" with some teenagers who hadn't even finished puberty yet.  
However it stood very clearly in her face that she was pissed as well and would have liked nothing more than take action too. She wasn't the type for sitting by and watching injustice happen either - obviously, considering she was a superhero.

Linda had watched the entire scene with endearment already but she definitely couldn't keep a straight face anymore when Alex started to essentially beg to be allowed to teach Mikhail at least some self defense techniques. Because that might at least prevent him from getting hit and thus getting a black eye, should a fight like this ever occur again.  
Of course this idea was accepted and welcomed very fast.  
At this point, Kara chimed in again to say that she'd gladly help out in that departement as well.

It was just very touching and meaningful to Linda how much her sisters, and their girlfriends too, cared for Mikhail. Considering that they didn't start out with the same connection as she and Mikhail did, that they didn't really get the chance to spend as much time with him as she did. Yet they accepted him into their family with open arms, just like they had done for her seemingly such a long time ago.   
Those were simply the kinds of people they were. And she would never be able to thank them enough.

"That's just so sweet.", Nia smiled softly. She seemed very touched as well.  
Lena, cuddled against Kara, holding hands on the latter's crossed legs, shrugged a little. "I guess it's just the fact that we can all relate to the situation very well and we don't want Mikhail to experience the same. We all felt shut out for some reason. I did because of my last name, Kara because she had to keep her powers hidden for over a decade, Alex with her sexuality, Kelly with her PTSD. You and Linda of course too. We all managed to find peace but it took a toll on us. If we can prevent that from happening to Mikhail, we should do that."  
"When did you get all wise and stuff?", Kara chuckled, lightening the mood.  
Lena rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at her, getting a boop on the nose in return. 

Mikhail had been quite entertained by the whole situation but he also felt something entirely different - he felt what it must be like to be completely and utterly loved.  
Sure, his biological mother had loved him. And she had done the best she could to care for him despite the fact that she had to work almost the entire day. Especially after his father had left. But it wasn't the same as this. These were six strong, badass women all ready to risk it all for him, to protect him and to make sure that he was happy.  
Because they were family.   
And family looked out for each other. 

He could practically feel the amount of love they all had for each other - for their girlfriends, as well as for their sister and maybe future-sisters-in-law. In the gentle hugs, soft kisses, kind smiles. Even in the way they would bicker with each other or tease each other as couples or sisters do, in the way Kara threatend to melt Alex's face if she didn't give her the last potsticker and Alex would whine about how unfair it was that neither Kara nor Linda would gain weight and get fat from their eating habits on this planet.  
They all enjoyed saying that they loved each other but most of the time that wasn't even necessary. They just knew.   
Mikhail knew. And he felt incredibly lucky that of all the families he could have ended up in, this was the one he got.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

(Roughly a week later)

"So you're sure you have everything?", Linda asked, nervously.  
"Yup.", Mikhail responded.   
"And you're really sure I shouldn't drive you?"  
"Hm-hm.", Mikhail made. "Josh and Abby are coming with their parents to pick me up since they're gonna be driving down this street anyway to get home."  
"Okay.", Linda said, her tone obviously stating that she was, in fact, not okay. 

Nia watched with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. "Lin, sweetie, calm down. It's a birthday party, not a... year abroad or something.", she chuckled.  
"A birthday party with sleepover.", Linda corrected, holding up her index finger to highlight the importance of the last part.  
Nia shook her head with a grin. "Yeah and he's gonna survive that too."

"That's true.", Mikhail said with a shrug.  
"Yeah I know.", Linda sighed. "Okay, one last check. Pajamas?"  
"Obviously.", Mikhail grinned.  
"Sleeping bag?"  
"Yeah."  
"Toothbrush?"  
"Uh-huh."  
"Fresh pair of underwear?"  
Mikhail closed his eyes, shaking his head as his cheeks seemed to become a little pink. "Oh my god, mom, what-", he began to exclaim but interrupted himself abruptly upon realising what he just said. He stood frozen in place, eyes ripped widely open. Silently thanking the heavens that he stood with his back to the two women.

Nia raised her eyebrows, her mouth forming an 'o'-shape as she glanced back and forth between the back of Mikhail's head and Linda.   
The blonde seemed just as shocked as the boy about what had just happened.   
She blinked a few times, as if she needed to convince herself that this was really happening. 

The sound of a car horn brought them back to reality.   
"That's Josh and Abby.", Mikhail said in a high-pitched voice as he grabbed his bag. He swallowed and with fast steps, he went past the two women with brightly blushed cheeks, avoiding eye contact. He only threw them a quick: "See you tomorrow."  
Then he left the appartement, almost sprinting down the stairs and to the car of his two friends. The father of the two had waited outside to take over his bag and put it in the back of the car. 

Mikhail slid into the backseat where Josh and Abby were already sitting.  
"What's up? You look-", Josh started but Mikhail interrupted him.  
"I called her 'mom'!", he exclaimed, burying his face in her hands. "I called Linda 'mom'! That's gonna make things so awkward!"  
"Holy shit, dude.", the other boy just said.  
"Aw, that's so cute!", Abby chimed in with a bright grin.   
Mikhail shot her a look. He guessed that must have been a stereotypical girl response to a situation like this. He would have blamed it on the fact that she was younger than them but that was only a year. And considering she had skipped a grade, which was why she was in the same one as them in the first place, she was pretty much on the same level as them anyways.

Their mother turned around to look at the three, giving Mikhail a kind smile. "I couldn't help but listen in. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. She might even feel the same way."  
Mikhail sighed dramatically, playing with his fingers. "Yeah. I hope so."  
The woman smiled again before they drove off.

Meanwhile, still in the appartement, Linda had still not completely gotten out of her shock.  
She still blinked far more than necessary.  
"He just-", she stammered. "He called me-"  
Nia was nodding with a grin. "Yep."  
"He called me 'mom'.", Linda finished her sentence at last, looking absolutely flabbergasted.   
"He did.", Nia smirked and nudged Linda's arm.   
Finally, it seemed to click in the blonde's head and a bright smile spread upon her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 👀


	50. Chapter 64B

Linda hadn't really been able to stop smiling the entire rest of the day. And Nia had been very happy as well - happy for her, enjoying to see her girlfriend this cheerful.  
Linda had felt the intense need to talk about this, to share this event, especially with her sisters. So she called them.   
First Kara, then Alex. Both got their respective girlfriends on the phone to listen in on the conversation as well when they heard Linda's excited voice and realised that whatever had happened was delightful news.

And all of them shared the joy that she felt.   
"Oh yess!", Kara had exclaimed. "Now we're _officially_ aunties! I mean we've seen ourselves as those before but now we can actually call ourselves that!"  
Linda had laughed at that statement, touched by the excitement that her twin showed.   
Though Alex had been speaking out her happiness as well, Linda had still noticed a faint undertone of sadness in Alex's voice - she had always been the Danvers sister who wished to become a mother the best after all. 

Linda hadn't really ever seen herself as a mother or parental figure at all.   
In Kasnia, she had been nothing more than his savior, his hero - a friend.  
And then after everything that had happened, she had been so lost, so helpless and dependent on Kara and Alex - seeking the comfort and warmth of a home and a family, something she had never known before.   
She had been so terrified of her feelings for Lena - feelings which may have faded with time but would probably forever leave a mark on her. There would always be that special kind of bond since Kara's love for her had been engrained into her very self.   
Though she wasn't in love with Lena anymore. Because that place in her heart had been taken by Nia. A very unexpected but wonderful change of events. 

Her relationship with Nia helped her mature, understand the world and feelings a little better, enabled her to find her place in life.   
So when she found Mikhail again, she had already been a much different person to the overwhelmed, confused girl she had been in Kasnia. It was easy to pick up on the role of the caretaker, of the protector. That was what she was at her core - protecting was her essence. She had sworn to protect her family, to protect Nia and finally to protect Mikhail.   
Somewhere along the way, she just sort of slipped from the caretaker role into the mother role.   
At that moment of realisation, she felt almost guilty. She hadn't planned to be a mom, she hadn't even really seen it happening at all. Nia had always seemed more than enough. But now she basically was one. Just like that. While Alex was still stuck with the Auntie role.   
Linda tried shaking those thoughts off. She knew that Alex wouldn't want her to feel shame for this. She also knew that one day, Alex would be a mom and that she would do an amazing job at it.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As the next day rolled around and the time neared at which she was supposed to pick Mikhail up from his friends' house, she grew very excited.   
She knew that Mikhail felt scared about what her reaction might be - she had seen how awkward he had gotten when he first said the magical word.  
But she wanted to take that fear away from him.  
She wanted that he knew that it was okay. More than okay. 

After saying goodbye to Nia with a kiss, she made her way to the house of his friends, though she needed a GPS for that. Luckily enough, it wasn't far. She didn't think her nerves would be able to handle waiting much longer. She was probably way too early already.  
So when she arrived at the house, she waited just a little longer, impatiently tapping the handles of her motorcycle, until she saw a few other parents who came to pick up their children.  
She didn't want to seem too overprotective or like some sort of helicopter parents - she knew that was pretty uncomfortable for a child at times. Making Mikhail uncomfortable was the last thing she wanted. Especially considering he already felt awkward enough since he uttered he word "mom" the day before.

Linda just followed some of the other parents to the door, feeling a little out of place. She just concentrated on listening to what was going on inside. The lady of the house was currently telling some of the kids that their parents were there.  
"Mikhail, your mom's here too."  
Linda couldn't help the smile and the light blush which were both spreading across her face. Neither could she help the fluttering feeling inside her stomach. It felt really good to hear someone referring to her like that. She had known before that she wanted to try and take on this new level of responsibility but the way this made her feel right now? The decision was definitely final.

At last, Mikhail came out with a few other children who were getting picked up.   
He seemed both excited and hesitant upon seeing her.   
Linda smiled at him. "Hey.", she said softly as she gently placed an arm around his shoulders.  
"Hi.", he responded, apparently a little nervous.   
"Did you have fun?"  
He nodded, starting to tell her a bit about what they had been doing, obviously wary and expectant. He could tell that she'd want to adress what happened the day before.

Linda licked her lips, waiting for a moment where she could ask the burning question.  
Since Mikhail was keeping himself short anyway, the opportunity soon arrived, barely a feet away from her motorcycle. 

"Do you... want to talk about what happened yesterday?", Linda finally asked, attempting to sound casual.  
They both came to a halt next to the motorcycle now.  
Mikhail bit his lip, just shrugging and moving his hand up to rub his neck. There it was, the question he had been expecting - and fearing.

"You know, um-", Linda said. She didn't even know why she felt so nervous about this. "-if you want... you can continue to call me... that. I don't... I don't mind. Not at all."  
Mikhail looked up, with wide eyes. His heartbeat was quicker than usual. "Really?"  
The blonde smiled softly, nodding.  
Mikhail broke into a smile as well now, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around her torso. "Okay.", he mumbled into the fabric of her sweater.   
"Okay.", Linda repeated after him, releasing a relieved breath. 

They pulled away, both still smiling.  
Then suddenly though Mikhail seemed to grow nervous again and he played with his fingers, looking down at the ground. "Do you... do you think Nia would be okay with it too? If I... called her- you know?"  
Linda chuckled. "If that's what you would like to do, I'm sure she would feel very honored. I think she'd love it."  
Mikhail started grinning. "Cool.", he said quietly to himself. 

As it turned out some time later, he seemed to have just been waiting for this day.   
Upon entering their appartement, Nia looked up with a smile. She was sitting on the couch, watching TV, apparently to try and pass the time until they would come back.  
"Hey, you two.", she greeted happily.   
"Hi, mom.", Mikhail said casually.  
And just like Linda the day before, Nia froze, jaw dropping slightly. She seemed to blink a few more times than necessary. 

Linda grinned at her and winked.   
She had gotten rid of her shoes and jacket first and already plopped down next to the brunette who was still staring ahead with wide eyes - just slowly turning around to her now, as if to ask for confirmation that this actually happened.   
"He couldn't wait to call you that for the first time.", Linda whispered with a smirk. "He even asked me if I thought you would be okay with it."  
Nia blinked a few more times, slowly nodding, apparently starting to register what was going on. 

Mikhail had now pulled off his last shoe as well and came over to the two, basically throwing himself in between them. He glanced from the one to the other, beaming brightly.  
Nia finally shook the initial shock off and ruffled his hair as a greeting. "So how was it?"  
"Great! We played games and we had lots of food and-", Mikhail broke into a long ramble about the party.   
Both women watched and listened with pure adoration in their eyes.   
At one point, their eyes met over Mikhail's head and they smiled softly at each other. They certainly hadn't expected this to be their life but it was the best possible thing that could have happened.

Linda lifted an arm and gently brushed some hair out of Nia's face before letting her hand linger on her cheek, her thumb carefully stroking along it.  
She always found that Nia's eyes were full of light and warmth but right now they seemed to actually shine with happiness.   
Simultaneously, they looked back down to the boy in the middle of them. Not just any boy though - he was their boy, their kid. Their son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Family ^-^


	51. Chapter 65B

[Christmas Eve aka the Christmas Chapter, even though we have summer]

Linda looked around, feeling both calm and happy. The many fairylights in the room were creating a warm, peaceful atmosphere. The laughter and the smiling faces of her family and friends were infectuous. Especially that of Mikhail who had never partaken in such a big, such a bright Christmas party. 

His expression reminded her a lot of her own first Christmas, as a Danvers sister, the year before.   
She had been so confused about the whole thing. Never having taken part in something like that. Of course there had been Kara's earth birthday. But that party had been completely different. A completely different atmosphere.  
She had been especially fascinated by all the lights and obviously the big tree in the living room, also decorated and covered in lights.

In Kasnia of course, nobody could have cared less about the fact that it was Christmas. Not where she lived - where she was forced to live, imprisoned in the cold, bleak cell, soldiers walking by without giving a damn about her. She hadn't even known it was Christmas.   
She only found that out when she met the only friendly encounter of the whole day - well actually the only friendly encounter ever.  
One of the soldiers had opened her door and sneaked in. He had been very nervous and had looked over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure nobody was watching him.   
Then he had pulled out a package of oreo cookies which he had heard she liked a lot and had handed them to her. He spluttered a quick Merry Christmas in russian, then disappeared again. 

The only kind of idea she had about Christmas came from a very few selected books from Lex Luthor.   
She didn't know exactly what it was supposed to be like but she did appreciate the kindness of that soldier. She had seen him a few times before and he was the only one who seemed to be sort of interested in her well-being. Instead of simply seeing her as a weapon.  
However after that day, she never saw him again.   
She didn't know if he had just left or if he might have been caught in the act of doing something nice for her and had therefore been punished - question was whether punished meant getting repositioned or getting disposed of. Whatever it was she didn't dare ask. In fear of what the answer might be.

In contrary to that, Christmas with the Danvers' and their friendship group had been a whole other world. They were always very open, kind and warmhearted. But on that day especially, the air simply seemed to be filled with love and compassion.   
The exchange of presents had been a nice bonus, though that hadn't been what was important to Linda that day. Nobody could ever top the present that Kara and Alex had given her the day that they took her into their family anyway. Or the present that Nia had made her when she chose to love her despite everything that she had done in the past and despite how problematic it had been to get rid of the romantic feelings she had for Lena before. Though a specific kind of emotional connection would probably always last since Kara's feelings had been transfered to her on a much too deep level. But at least there was no attraction left - Linda only had eyes for Nia. 

And this year was just as great, if not better. Their family had only grown. So now Mikhail got to see and experience it as well - the love and the warmth.  
He had never experienced something like it either as his mother wouldn't have had the capabilities to enable something like this for him.

At one point during the late evening, Linda and Nia pulled Mikhail aside, leading him a little away from the others. The blonde carried a box with her. Finally they sat down at the kitchen table.   
The two women appeared to be very agitated.

"You're getting a few others too but... here, open this one first.", Linda beamed, pushing the box over the table to Mikhail.   
The boy looked curious, taking the box. He tilted his head a little when he realised how light it was.   
After ripping the paper off, he was met with a very usual carton. He lifted the lid off, placing it next to the box. He got up on his knees on the chair, so he could peak into it.  
At first he seemed confused when there wasn't anything in it but as he looked at the bottom of the box, his facial expression changed abruptly.

His jaw dropped, his eyes widened - and also seemed to get a little teary.  
He looked up at Linda and Nia who both smiled at him from the other side of the table. The blonde nodded slightly.  
"We thought, why not just make it really official?", she whispered. 

Mikhail stared at them for a little while longer, then he suddenly jumped off his chair and rushed around the table to get to the two women. He threw his arms around both their necks.   
Linda and Nia smiled brightly, both wrapping their arm around him as well. They looked at each other over his back, both sighing happily.

A bit further into the room, the rest of the family - Kara and Lena, Alex and Kelly, the Superfriends - looked at them, all wearing big grins on their faces as well. They had known about this and had been very excited that it finally happened.   
It was just the legal level, emotionally this had been settled long ago but it was still a big deal. 

Linda gently rubbed his back as they pulled away from each other. She still smiled as she moved her hand from his back to his cheek. "Are you happy?", she asked softly, brushing her hand through his hair.   
Mikhail nodded hastily. His eyes were definitely a little teary.   
Nia leaned over the table, grasping the box to pull it closer and take the content out - nothing more than a few papers.   
She smirked as she looked at them, her eyes especially lingering on the bold text at the top. The three magic words which would now make them officially, legally, not just emotionally, a family.  
 **Certificate of Adoption.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this!


	52. Chapter 66B

"Alright, what do we have here?", Kara asked into her comms.  
"It's a rare alien species which can create wormholes. We don't know where they lead so please don't fall into one, okay? For all we know you could end up in space and suffocate.", Alex replied.  
"Got it.", Kara and Linda said simultaneously. The sisters looked at each other, then over at Nia and all three superheroines nodded.

And for a while, they were keeping the upper hand. They were able to avoid any of the wormholes for a good amount of time and work their way closer to the alien, in hopes of being able to take it down then and contain it.  
But of course, as it had to come, at one point, Kara couldn't keep her balance in time and fell. She couldn't even open her mouth in time to yell. All she could muster as some sort of reaction was widening her eyes. She heard Linda call out her name in panic and then she found herself in pitch black darkness.

When Kara came back to her senses, she stood in the same place she left. A street in National City. With the exception that it was now completely dark, there were ruins and destruction everywhere she looked and sirens could be heard in the distance. Kara swallowed and she felt her heart skip a beat.   
"What happened?", she asked herself out loud, looking around in shock. 

She didn't have much more time to figure out what was going on as a Lexosuit flew straight towards her. Except that it wore the engrainment "H.O.P.E." on it's right chest part.  
"It's past curfew. You're not supposed to be here.", it said with a robotic voice. So die that mean that there was no one inside? Was it just a robot? A quick check of trying to find a heartbeat, without success, made sure that yes, this was in fact just a robot.

It raised it's arm and shot at her. Kara reacted quickly and hid behind her cape. When she finally looked up again, she shot at it with her heat vision but that didn't even create as much as a dent. "Oh you've got to be kidding me.", Kara mumbled.  
The Lexosuit landed on the ground and raised it's arm again, about to shoot at her once more. Kara took a defensive stance, ready to fight this opponent but she shouldn't get the chance to.

She was a little startled to find that blue energy formed behind it and caused it to explode in bright flames.   
Kara squinted when she saw a person a few feet away, through the smoke. She had her assumptions who it could be. She knew that form of energy. It was dream energy.

And sure enough, the person stepped closer, making her face easier to see through the slowly fading swirls of smoke.  
"Who are you?", Nia asked with narrowed eyes.  
Kara, who had been beginning to smile in relief of seeing a familiar face, frowned. "I'm... I'm Kara."  
"No, that's not possible. Sure, you look like her.", she said as she watched her up and down. "But you are not Kara."

Kara blinked a few times. "It's me though. Who else would I be?"  
"I don't know. A clone? An A.I.? What do I know? But you can't be Kara."  
"But... but I am!", Kara exclaimed, confusion and frustration taking over her. What was going on?  
Nia shook her head. "You literally can't. No matter how much you try to convince me. Kara died two and a half years ago. I was amongst the ones who found her dead body, so I know for a fact... You're not her."

Kara stared at Nia. "I did what now?"  
Nia narrowed her eyes, ignoring her question. "Why do you look like her? Like them?"  
The 'them' must be referring to both Kara and Linda. So that meant she still had a twin sister. Was she alive though?  
"I-", Kara stopped abruptly when she thought more deeply about what happened. Realisation dawned on her. "Oh. Oh Rao. I think I know what's going on. This isn't my earth."  
Upon Nia's confused look, she added: "We were fighting this alien with the power to create wormholes. I fell into one, on accident. I... I think it brought me to another earth. An earth where apparently... I'm dead. And National City looks like... this... for some reason."

Nia watched her closely and bit her lip. She seemed to consider her words, seemed to outweigh the likelihood and plausibility of what she said. Since the multiverse wasn't exactly a secret, the doubt and the suspicion seemed to fade now slowly. "So... so it really is you?"  
"Technically yeah.", Kara replied, also a little overwhelmed with the situation which she was in. Of course she had been to other earths before - Earth 1, Earth X. But those times she had been prepared. She had back-up and a clear plan. Most importantly, she had a way back home.

Nia took a deep breath, then she stormed forward to hug her. "We all miss you so much.", she whispered.  
Kara awkwardly patted her back. How do you deal with someone who has been grieving over you for more than two years and is now finding an alternate version of yourself? Who knew? Certainly not Kara.

Nia pulled away. "We should get out of here. I'll bring you to the others."  
Kara just nodded and Nia made a head movement to tell her to follow her.   
Not much later, they arrived in the Tower.   
As the secret elevator opened, Nia stepped out first.  
"Look who I found. Don't freak out. It really is her.", she exclaimed as she stepped to the side to reveal Kara, making everyone in the room gasp loudly. "Well, not exactly her. She's from a different... earth. We guess. Fell into a wormhole and ended up here."

Alex stared at her, tears building up in her eyes as she rushed forward to embrace her into a tight hug. Kara slung her arms around her. She could only imagine how her sister must be feeling. If she had to mourn Alex for more than two years and then saw her, or an alternate version of her, she'd probably lose it. So this was quite the calm response actually.

When they pulled away, Kara looked around. Her eyes shifted over Kelly, J'onn, Sam, Winn and Mon-El who all ended up taking their turns of hugging her.   
She frowned though. "Where are Lena, Linda and Mikhail? Where are Brainy and Ruby?"  
Everyone's face showed the same kind of darkness upon the mention of the names.

"Ruby's dead.", Sam said quietly. Alex placed a hand on her shoulder as she teared up.  
Nia furrowed her eyebrows at something that Kara had said. "Wait a sec, Mikhail? Who's Mikhail? Isn't that the boy who died in Kaznia?"  
Kara just stared back at them, glancing from Sam to Nia. Feeling both grief for Ruby and confusion about the absence of Mikhail - why didn't they know who he was? Why didn't they know he was alive? Whatever had happened on this Earth clearly prevented them from from finding out.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on here?", Kara asked, feeling like she would have a nervous breakdown any minute. "And again where's Lena, Lin and Brainy?"  
Nobody got the chance to reply, as there was suddenly a crackling sound from the big screen on the wall.   
Then someone appeared on it. And the sight of that person took Kara's breath away.   
"Dear people of National City-"  
"Lena?", Kara whispered in shock, gaping at the screen. Lena looked different. Dark, empty, cold. Kara squinted her eyes when she noticed a figure standing in the shadows behind her and felt another wave of shock running through her veins. "Lin."

She was so startled by the whole situation that she didn't even realise what Lena announced.  
Before she knew what had happened, the screen went black again and she released a shaky breath.  
"What- what the hell?"  
Alex sighed. "Two and a half years ago, you... I mean, our Kara was kidnapped by Eve Teschmacher. After a few days, we found her but... but she was dead already. Apparently she made too much trouble and wouldn't cooperate. And Eve lost patience."

Kara frowned. "That happened on my earth too. But that wasn't two and a half years ago. I think this earth might be a little further ahead in time than mine."  
Alex blinked a few times. "So... so, we managed to save you in your earth?"  
Kara looked up, placing a hand on Alex's. "You did."  
Alex took a deep breath, smiled a teary smile and cleared her throat. Then she continued talking: "We, um...We were all heartbroken, of course. Still are... but Lena freaked out completely. And then she disappeared for almost two years. When she came back, she had changed."  
"The trauma and the loneliness... it drove her mad.", Kelly explained. 

"Batshit crazy, to be honest. Killed Lex and Lillian. Took down half of National City. Aligned Brainy to make him work for her.", Winn continued.  
"And Lin too.", Nia whispered. Kara's head jerked in her direction. The brunette had her arms crossed over her chest. Her voice was trembling with surpressed tears. "She couldn't stand to see your face in Lin. She tortured her under the influence of kryptonite and red sunlight lamps. Into obedience and emotionlessness. Forced her to wear that helmet of her suit all the time so she didn't have to look at her face."

Kara felt her breathing grow heavy. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.   
"I-", she barely got any words out. Her mouth felt like it was dried out. How could Lena do something as awful as this? To Brainy, to her own sister?   
They're not her Lena and her Linda, she reminded herself. Not exactly. These two were broken, taken over by the darkness which came with the grief of losing her.

She opened her mouth to speak again but before she could say anything, the lights started flickering and the building started rumbling.   
The others looked up in shock.  
"Quick, you gotta hide. They can't know you're here. They won't believe it's you, they're gonna kill you.", Alex said in panic, not ready to see her sister die again, as she pushed Kara along, taking her into hiding. Not a second too early. The window at the top of the wall shattered with extreme force as someone broke through. 

Kara could still see from where she was hiding. She noticed how she held her breath as she watched the person straighten themselves.   
No doubt. It was Linda in her Red Daughter suit. She wore the same helmet, she had worn all that time ago. When she had almost killed Kara in their fight. When she had still fought for Lex. Before she changed sides.   
Now she was, again, an emotionless soldier, trained to fight and to destroy. The thing she feared most to be.

Nia stepped forward. "Lin. It's me.", she said, as she took off her mask. "It's Nia. You don't have to do this."  
Linda didn't show any kind of recognition or reaction. But then she suddenly marched forward, ready to attack.  
Kara's heart skipped a beat. She knew that Nia would never be able to fight Linda. Not because of strength but because she loved her. And while her Linda would never do anything to hurt Nia either, this Linda was aligned differently. 

Kara couldn't watch this. She stormed out of her hiding place and yelled: "Don't!"  
Linda stopped dead in her tracks.  
Slowly, she turned into her direction and just stared, well assumably stared as her eyes were hidden away, at her for a few seconds.   
"Kara."  
Kara exhaled. "Yes. It's me."  
Linda's hands balled into fists. "No.", she said, her voice sounding like it would crack any second. "You are wrong. My sister is dead."  
Rao, Kara was already getting sick of hearing that.  
Linda turned into her direction, rushing forward and taking a swing. Kara's eyes widened as she ducked away under her twin's arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course, we need some drama again, there's been happy times for too long haha.  
> Hope you still enjoy this!


	53. Chapter 67B

Linda made several attempts at fighting her but Kara dodged everytime. Not even trying to fight back.   
Linda seemed to grow frustrated. "Stop it!", she exclaimed.  
"No. No, I'm not doing this.", Kara said. Her voice was shaking a little. It hurt her to see her twin like this. Back to being the person, Linda never wanted to be in the first place. "I'm not going to fight my sister."  
Linda shook her head. "You're not my sister. Kara is dead."

She attacked her again, this time Kara didn't have the time to duck and therefore ended up on her back. Linda stood over her, her foot moving to rest on her chest and apparently staring down at her.  
Kara swallowed, grabbing Linda's foot, trying to hold off the pressure which was applied to her chest. "Lin, please listen to me, I'm-"  
"No! Stop!", Linda screamed at her. Her voice was trembling terribly. She was near her breaking point. "You're lying! My sister is dead and I-"

Kara took the chance and rose her leg, kicking her sister's legs away so that she fell. She quickly got up and pinned Linda down by grabbing her wrists. Somehow the helmet seemed to defunction as it dematerialised. Now Kara could look into Linda's face.  
Her eyes were filled with tears, her bottom lip trembled. She rapidly shook her head, apparently still trying to convince herself that her twin was dead. She didn't want to give herself false hope. She didn't want to let the pain in.

Kara released a shaky breath.  
"You are right. Your Kara is dead. But I'm from another earth. I accidentally fell into a wormhole and ended up here. So yeah technically I'm not the Kara you know. But I am Kara. If that makes sense."  
Linda's chest rose and sank deeply, indicating she was thinking hardly about her words. Trying to find any hints at lies or tricks.   
"You... you're Kara? From another earth? You're... you're my sister?", she repeated after her.  
Kara nodded.

Kara hoped that she had finally convinced her. Had somehow broken through the brainwashing.  
She stood up and stretched out her hand for Linda to take. She had to hope that she wouldn't take the opportunity to bring her down again.  
The latter stayed on the ground a little while longer, tears still glistening in her eyes. Then she took Kara's hand, letting her pull her back to her feet.  
Kara wanted to say something else but she was interrupted before she even opened her mouth when Linda wrapped her arms around Kara. The slight tremble in her body indicated that she was crying.   
Kara instantly forgot what she had even wanted to say and instead just held her close.  
She knew it wasn't the same but Linda just needed the closeness of her sister. Even if it was her sister from a different earth.

Over Linda's shoulder, Kara saw Nia gaping at them and swallowing hardly every now and then.   
Kara patted Linda's shoulder gently and whispered into her ear: "I think there's someone else waiting for a hug."  
Linda slowly and reluctantly pulled away to turn her head. When her eyes fell on Nia however, she seemed to skip a heartbeat.  
"Nia.", she said under her breath.  
The brunette opened her mouth but all that came out was a quiet sob. Linda supersped forward, embracing her tightly. She buried her face in the crook of Nia's neck.  
"I'm sorry, _prekrasnyy_.", she mumbled with a trembling voice. "I'm so sorry."

Kara felt a small smile forming on her face at the sight. At least she could help a little bit already. But the smile fell as fast as it came. "I have to get to Lena. Where is she?"  
"Are you out of your mind, Kara?", Winn gaped. "Look, I don't know the Lena of your world, but here... she's a lunatic!"  
Kara shook her head. "I don't believe that. She's hurt. And alone. I know Lena better than anyone else does. She's good. And I just know that she has good inside of her here too. No matter what earth, she's... she's good. She just... she just needs to be reminded of that."

"I have to agree with Winn.", Mon-El stated. "She's extremely unstable. What if she has a complete meltdown when you get there? What if she kills you?"  
Alex nodded and added: "I'd never forgive myself if I let you die a second time. And I could never do that to our versions on your earth."  
Kara shook her head. "No. No, I can't just leave you all like this. I can't leave Lena like this. Besides, I don't even know how to get back to my earth right now. And the only two people in this city who might possibly come up with a solution are Lena and Brainy. If I can bring Lena back, then she can reprogram Brainy. Everything will be okay. I will do this."

Alex watched her intensely, with crossed arms and a small smile dancing on her lips. "You really are my sister."  
The corners of Kara's lips curled themselves up a little.   
"She's probably at CatCo.", Alex said.  
"Thank you.", Kara replied and not a second later, she had shot out of the already broken window to make her way to the building in question. 

It was dark inside. The only light seemed to be a dim, red shimmer.   
Kara walked slowly, feeling unnerved. This was weird. Seeing CatCo like this.   
"Lena?", she called out. "It's me."  
She stepped further, looking around carefully. After a little silence, she added: "It's Kara."  
She almost jumped when a voice replied. "Kara?"  
The blonde felt her heartbeat increase in speed. It was Lena's voice. She sat in one of the chairs at a desk - in the shadows, barely recognizable. 

Her voice sent cold shivers down Kara's spine.   
This Lena's voice was nothing like her Lena's voice. It was cold and hard - it was the voice of a broken person.   
Kara took a few shaky breaths as she watched Lena stand up and walk towards her.   
When the little light which was available hit her face, Kara swallowed.   
She looked like the same Lena she loved so much - and yet she looked so different.   
There was no love in her eyes, no happiness, no light. Just darkness and emptiness. She looked lost.

"This can't be real.", Lena spoke up. "You're dead."  
"Yeah, I've been getting that a lot today. It's... it's complicated. I'm from another earth. I somehow ended up here when I fell through a wormhole.", Kara explained for the fourth time that day. "But... but it's me, Lena."  
She heard Lena's heartbeat grow heavier. Apparently she had an easier time believing her than Linda did. Or maybe she was just so desperate that she was willing to accept all and any chances. That her face alone was enough to trigger emotions which she had buried inside of her a long time ago, enough to break the walls which she had been building up around her.  
"K-Kara.", tears welled up in her eyes.

Kara's heart ached for her and she quickly took steps forward but suddenly she felt the air getting pressed out of her lungs. She swayed. She blinked a few times.   
Lena slowly walked backwards. "No. I'm sorry.", she whispered, horrified.  
"It's okay.", Kara brought out between gritted teeth, as she took deep breaths while resting her hands on her knees. "I just didn't know you had kryptonite on you right now. That kinda threw me off guard. But I'm fine."  
"It's not on me. It's in me.", Lena whispered. A first single tear rolled down her cheek.

Kara's head jerked up, looking at her.  
What did that mean? Oh Rao, no. Did she mean-?  
"My mother and Lex kidnapped me after you d-", she choked on the word as more tears spilled from her eyes. "I was vulnerable. An easy target. They experimented on me, turned me into... into-"  
Kara had used her x-ray vision to check Lena's chest area and the bright green light blinding her was enough to know.   
"Metallo.", Kara whispered, mortified.

The blonde felt a lump forming in her throat and she swallowed hardly. Suddenly she didn't even register the pain of the kryptonite anymore.   
She straightened herself and continued her walk towards Lena.   
The brunette's eyes widened and she took rapid steps backwards while stretching out her arms to tell her to keep back.  
"No! Don't come closer! I don't- don't want to hurt you.", she cried out.  
"I don't care about the kryptonite. I'm gonna hug you. Because you need that right now more than anything.", Kara said softly and gently grabbed her outstretched arms, pushing them down so she could instead wrap her into a hug.

She did feel the painful burning in her chest, which was closest to the kryptonite heart implanted into the brunette and was only shielded away by the thick coat over it. The burning stretched out all the way into her fingertips and toes. But she spoke the truth when she said she didn't care about it. She just wanted to comfort Lena.   
Thus, she simply tried ignoring how every nerve in her body seemed to clench together in protest. How every fibre of her being seemed to scream at her to step back. How she wanted so badly to just scream out in pain and curl up.  
She concentrated only on the woman in her arms, stroking her back comfortingly.

Lena stood frozen for a second, overwhelmed by the body contact. Such a warm, loving form of body contact. Which she hadn't experienced in more than two years.   
Her breathing grew quicker and heavier, almost as if she was hyperventilating. And when Kara only tightend her embrace around her in response, she lost it.  
Her arms glid around Kara, her hands grasping onto her back. Heartwrenching sobs erupted from her throat as she buried her face in the crook of Kara's neck and held onto the blonde for dear life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Direct continuation off of last chapter's ending  
> Hope you like it!


	54. Chapter 68B

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a flashback chapter to show what had been going on on that other earth, leading up to this point.
> 
> Alright, get ready for pain :)

_"Alright, Lin, can you hear her or something?", Alex asked quietly._

_Linda closed her eyes, tried to listen for Kara's heartbeat but she didn't find anything. Maybe she was getting blocked off by something._   
_She opened her eyes again and shook her head. "I'll look for her.", she said, rushing off._   
_"Red Daughter, wait!", Alex hissed but she was already gone._

_Linda supersped through the halls and rooms of the building, checking every door she crossed with her x-ray vision._   
_Then suddenly she stopped as she saw a figure through one door._   
_Without hesitation, she kicked it down and stormed in._   
_"Kara! We found you! You're safe, you-", she beamed but her smile faded when Kara didn't react. She frowned and stepped closer. "Kara?"_

_She felt like her blood ran cold when she realised that Kara's body hang limply and lifelessly in the chair to which she was chained. Her skin had a pale, greyish color. The chest part of her suit was drenched in blood. She didn't have a heartbeat._   
_Linda took a few heavy breaths, swaying as she stepped forward and broke down to her knees in front of chair._   
_"Kara, wake up. Come on! We found you! You're safe!", Linda said loudly. Her voice cracked, her lip trembled._

_"Kara! Wake up! Come on! Wake up!", she screamed, tears rising to her eyes. She was grasping the fabric of her sister's suit and shaking her. Sobs made their way up inside of her, erupting from her throat with immense force. She hung her head, crying. Her next words came out as nothing more than a broken whisper. "Kara, you have to wake up ... Please."_   
_But she didn't._

_\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

_It took them almost ten minutes to find the two blondes. However, they didn't expect this sight._   
_Kara hanging in the metal chair, motionless, and Linda cuddled into her side, head on her sister's shoulder and her arms wrapped around her neck. The rapid rise and fall of her own shoulders indicated that she was crying - as if the heartwrenching sobs weren't indication enough._   
_Alex as well as Nia and J'onn were frozen in shock for a second._   
_The other agents all exchanged looks before backing off and leaving to find the rest of the men who had caused all of this to happen in the first place._

_Nia was the first to storm forward, crouching down next to the chair and running her hand through Linda's hair. The blonde's eyes were red and puffy. Tears were rolling down her cheeks._   
_Nia glanced to the side and gulped upon seeing Kara's body but she pressed her eyes shut and shook her head, tried to focus on Linda instead._

_J'onn and Alex were setting themselves in motion now too but the latter didn't come very far. She moved along the wall, ringing for air before falling to her knees and burying her face in her hands. The Martian sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms as he tried and failed to fight his own tears._

_\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

_It took a long time until they felt ready to get up._   
_J'onn had been the first one to pull himself together as he needed to complete his task of removing the attacking group's memories about the identities of Supergirl and Red Daughter._

_Nia had gently touched Linda's shoulders and pulled her into a standing position._   
_She had crouched down again to remove Kara's chains and after several deep breaths, Linda had leaned down to lift her sister's limp body into her arms._   
_She had to close her eyes for a moment, to prevent herself from breaking down again._   
_Then they had made their way back to the DEO._

_Lena was already waiting, expectantly, excited to see her girlfriend again._   
_When Alex, Nia and Linda who was carrying Kara finally came into view, she broke into a smile. But that smile fell as fast as it came when she realised that the way Kara hung in her sister's arms was barely natural - definitely not conscious. And the facial expression of all three others spoke more than words ever could._

_Lena shook her head, eyes widely opened and filling with tears which were quickly starting to spill._   
_A scream erupted from her throat as she fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands._   
_Alex slowly set herself in motion, walking over and sitting down next to her to pull her into a hug - crying herself too, once more._

_Nia glanced over at Linda. She was trying to hold back the tears - her jaw clenched and her eyes glassy._   
_Nia stepped closer and placed a hand on her shoulder._   
_Linda shot her a quick look before her view fell down on the limp body she was carrying._   
_She released a shaky breath and in nothing more than a broken whisper she said: "It should have been me."_

_\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

_Linda stared down at the incredible mass of people who had all collected in National City's streets. Aliens and humans alike had come out and joined forces to mourn the loss of one of their heroes._   
_Flags were hanging down from open windows, big posters with Supergirl's face had been plastered on house walls. Countless kids were crying, most of them dressed in a super costume. But there were adults who looked absolutely shattered as well, even shed tears._

_Linda hovered above them, barely able to keep herself together._   
_Then she noticed a shining light reflecting from CatCo's rooftop. She flew down and landed a few feet away from Nia who was holding a small hand mirror and had been trying to signal her._   
_When Nia looked at her, with so much understanding and empathy in her eyes, Linda lost it. With a few quick steps she had closed the space between them and had let herself be embraced by the brunette who instantly pulled her close._

_\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

_Linda had thought that the honorary parade for Supergirl had been hard to watch but it was almost nothing in comparison to the burial for Kara Danvers._   
_Seeing all these familiar, beloved faces at once, so devastated. Though there were faces which she didn't recognize, like a woman with short blonde hair and a young man who appeared to be her teenage son. She assumed them to be Kara's old boss, Cat Grant and her son Carter. There were also people who were apparently friends from other earths - heroes as well who had gotten through quite a few of fights with Kara at their side._   
_None of them, neither the Grants nor the heroes from other earths had known of Linda before and had been very startled to see her. But as all of them actually knew that Kara was Supergirl, they were able to explain the situation quite quickly._

_The worst part of all of it was seeing the coffin being put down. The hole getting filled up. Before finally a small stone was placed on top of it, reading out Kara's name._   
_Linda had been shaking at this point and she could see that Lena who stood on the other side of the grave would probably break down any minute._   
_She went towards her, opened and closed her mouth, finally just moving her hand to place it on her shoulder. But Lena flinched away from her touch. She didn't even make eye contact._

_"No, I- I can't. I'm sorry, Linda but- I can't. Everytime I see you, I- I see her.", Lena said with a shaky voice. "So please just- stay away."_   
_With those words, Lena wrapped her arms around herself, as if she was hugging herself, and turned around to walk away._   
_Linda watched after her, feeling even worse, though she had deemed that impossible._   
_Arms slung around her and after blinking the tears away, Linda turned her head to Nia who was casting her a pityful look._   
_"I'm sure she'll come around. She just needs time.", Nia whispered sadly. "We all need time."_

_\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

_Lena was walking alone. Her hands were still gripping her upper arms, desperately trying to keep herself together. As if she was afraid she'd break completely if she dared to let go._   
_"Hello there.", a familiar voice said from behind her all of the sudden._   
_Lena shot around, her eyes wide in shock. "Lex. What- How did you get out of your cell?"_   
_"Oh with all this drama about Supergirl, the agents at the precious DEO have become increasingly less observant. Gives you a great chance to escape.", Lex shrugged before pointing over his shoulder. "And look who joined me."_   
_Lena's jaw clenched. "Mother."_   
_"Precisely.", Lillian answered with a cold smile. "And you'll come with us now."_   
_That's when she felt a bag getting pulled over her head before she was getting dragged into a car._

_\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

_It had been 1 year._   
_1 year, 8 months and 13 days to be exact. Linda had been counting._   
_That's how long Kara was dead._   
_That's how long Lena had been gone._   
_That's when Lena had come back mysteriously and had approached Linda for the first time. Not with any good intentions though. She barely even looked like herself anymore. All the warmth had left her eyes, they were dark, empty and cold._

_Before Linda had been able to say anything, Lena had pulled out a kryptonite grenade and knocked her unconscious._   
_Linda woke up inside of the helmet of her suit which she hadn't worn in such a long time, not since the day that she turned in Lex and had become a Danvers._   
_She found herself in a dark laboratorium, only red sunlight lamps were spending any kind of light on her surroundings. She swallowed when she saw a body bag on a table next to her - revealing enough to make the body inside recognizable as Eve Teschmacher._

_A dark figure stood next to Linda's bed with her back turned to her._   
_Linda squinted against the light. "Lena?", she asked quietly._   
_The Luthor turned around, eyeing her. "Ah, you're awake. Then we can begin.", she said monotonously. No kind of emotion in her voice._   
_"Begin what?", the blonde swallowed._   
_"You'll work for me. A kryptonian under my control will be useful for the deeds I have planned."_   
_Linda frowned. "I don't... I don't like it when you act like that. Stop d-"_   
_"Well, you'll have to get used to it.", Lena responded. She lifted up a syringe, taking a look at it. "And once you're under my control, you won't have anything to say against me anyway."_

_Lena put the syringe into position, about to penetrate Linda's skin._   
_The blonde's eyes widened._   
_"Lena, you don't have to do this. Please. You're a good person. I know you're keeping yourself from feeling anything to protect yourself but Kara wouldn't have-"_   
_"Kara-", Lena said so loudly that Linda flinched. "-is dead! It doesn't matter now what I do. She was the one who made me a good person."_   
_"That's not true.", Linda argued. "You are good, you just-"_   
_She interrupted herself when Lena pushed the needle into her skin._   
_She instantly felt a burning in her arm, spreading across her entire body within seconds, making it feel like her insides were on fire._   
_Lena didn't move a muscle as she listened to her pained screams._

_\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

_And after a few weeks of daily pain, Linda had been broken. She had lost the will to fight. She had been brought under Lena's iron fist._   
_And she soon got her first task._

_Linda landed at the DEO's entrance._   
_All eyes instantly were on her._   
_Alex and Nia, who had been the ones who had been losing their minds in worry, fear and anger for having lost someone else and not being able to know where and how she was, almost immediately teared up as they recognized the suit. Though they didn't know why she would wear the helmet._   
_Nia broke out of her shocked trance and moved forwards before starting to run._   
_She was just about to throw herself into Linda's arms when the latter raised a hand and pushed her back so that Nia flew backwards through the air several feet before sliding across the floor until finally coming to a halt. She breathed heavily, face scrunched up in pain and confusion._

_Alex stared at the scene for a few seconds before rushing to Nia's side._   
_She glanced up at her younger sister._   
_"What the hell, Lin?", she yelled. The happiness of seeing her alive had been replaced with irritation and shock._   
_The helmet prevented them to see whether there was any kind of reaction. Linda simply started walking until she stopped in front of Brainy and grabbed him by the collar._   
_"Lena says you'll be useful.", she said with a monotonous voice. The dulling effect of the helmet made it sound almost robotic._   
_Without another word, she had supersped out of the DEO, taking Brainy with her._   
_"Did... did she just say 'Lena'?", Nia asked in a broken whisper._   
_Alex could do nothing more than nod._   
_"What happened to her? That's not... that's not our Lin.", Nia sniffled._   
_Alex looked back at her and pulled the younger woman into her arms. She was still unable to form any sentence._

_The next time they saw either of them again, Linda was still a mindless slave to Lena's biddance. And Brainy had been reprogramed to listen to her orders as well. There had been several times where they had to fight their former friends. Though neither Alex nor Nia had ever been able actually stand against Linda. Alex would have had to fight her sister, the only one she had left, and Nia would have had to fight the girl she loved. Neither of them felt capable of doing that._   
_But then they suddenly had a flash of hope. Presenting itself in the form of the person who's loss had set off this chain of events in the first place._


	55. Chapter 69B

Kara didn't know how long she held Lena in her arms like this but time didn't seem to matter.  
When she had finally calmed down enough, Kara lifted her into her arms and flew them back to the Tower.  
However the response wasn't exactly welcoming.  
"What's she doing here?", Mon-El hissed upon seeing the brunette.  
"Yeah, why would you take her here? Are you out of your mind?", Winn chimed in.

Kara protectively stepped in front of Lena, taking her hand and tightly squeezing it.  
"She's not here to hurt you or anything. She's not a villain.", Kara said firmly. She glanced behind her, her eyes asking her a simple question. 'Can I tell them?' Lena gave a short nod.  
Though the situation was serious and dark, it still relieved Kara to know that no matter where, their love was still strong enough that they could understand each other without words.

Kara turned back to the others. "Lena didn't just leave National City back then. Lex and Lillian kidnapped her and... did horrible things to her. They...", Kara took a deep shaky breath. She didn't like just thinking about the pain that Lena had to go through. Completely on her own. She unconsciously squeezed her hand. "They turned her into Mentallo. That's what made her... do all this. Of course, that's no excuse for her actions, I understand that. I probably don't know the half of what was going on the past months for you. But it's an explanation - for why and how she snapped. And she regrets it, really."

There was silence in the room. Everyone stared at them. Lena had meanwhile cuddled against her arm, not daring to look at anyone.  
Kara waited impatiently for some sort of response. She looked to her older sister for support. "Alex?"  
Alex watched her with crossed arms, chewing on her lip. She exchanged looks with Kelly and Sam who were standing on either side of her.   
"I-", Alex said uncertainly but she was interrupted by Sam. 

"Well, I'm willing to accept her.", she said. She looked behind Kara, at Lena who had raised her head. "Not forgive. Not yet. There's... too much that happened. But I would never give up on her. Because she didn't give up on me either when I was Reign."  
Lena's lip trembled.  
Kara swallowed. She always knew that Sam was a good person, that's why she counted her to one of her closest friends. But the fact that she was the first to stand up for Lena now? When on this earth, her biggest source of happiness, her daughter, had died? Kara didn't know what had killed Ruby and she didn't dare ask but it still meant the world to her that Sam would react like this after everything. 

There was a collective mumbling.  
Kara cleared her throat.   
"So she can stay?", she asked hopefully into the room.  
Most of them didn't exactly look happy or completely convinced but no one gave any objections.   
Kara turned to Lena, smiling a little. Lena looked at her with teary eyes and the blonde placed her arm around her, holding her close as she led her down the stairs.

Almost a whole week passed in which Lena and Brainy, who she had soon realigned back to his old self, were working on a way to bring Kara back to her earth.  
Though it was obviously hard for Lena to consciously build something that would seperate her from Kara again - make her lose her again.   
Kara tried spending time with every single one of them, hoping to give them some sort of closure since they had all never gotten the chance to say goodbye to the Kara of this earth.   
But she spent the most time with Lena, as she had been the one to suffer most in these years.  
Besides Linda obviously. But at least Linda had Nia back now to comfort her and be there for her. To help her cope with what happened.

When they had finally figured it out, Kara was conflicted. She felt both relieved and happy to be returning home but she also felt sorrow for having to leave all of them behind.   
As it was time to go, they all collected around to take their turns in saying goodbye and giving her one last hug.  
"It... it was really nice to have both of my sisters back. At least for a while.", Alex said with a shaky voice after pulling away from their embrace. She looked over at Linda. "But you gave me at least one back for good. I don't know how to thank you. I'll never let something like this happen again."  
Kara forced up a smile.

One by one they stepped forward to hug her and say a few last words.   
Linda was chewing on her trembling lip as she tried holding back the tears welling up in her eyes. "I'll miss you."  
Kara didn't know how to respond but she felt herself pulling her a little closer as she rubbed her back comfortingly.   
"I have to tell you something. I don't... don't want to give you false hope because I don't know what happened to him here in the time while National City got wrecked but... On my earth, we found Mikhail. Alive and well.", Kara said, as she pulled away and placed her hands on her twin's shoulders.   
Linda's eyes widened. "W-what?", she choked out.  
Kara nodded. "His death was a ploy by Lex to pull you on his side. And Mikhail... he immigrated after his mom died and we found him. He's been living with you and Nia ever since. You two are his moms. You're a very happy family."  
Linda stared at her for a few seconds, seemingly having a hard time processing what she told her. She swallowed hardly. "I... I will look for him. Thank you."  
Before she was able to leave, she threw her arms around her another time.

Nia was the last to approach her and when she embraced her, the brunette simply whispered: "Thank you. For bringing her back to me."  
Kara nodded against her shoulder and when they pulled away, Nia went straight back to Linda, interwining their hands.

Now, there was only Lena left. She was cowering at the bottom of the stairs, looking close to a meltdown.   
Kara knelt down in front of her, cupping her cheek with one hand, which made her raise her head.   
Kara looked at her with sad eyes. "I'm sorry that I have to leave you but-"  
"Your Lena is waiting for you to come home.", she whispered, placing her hand on top of Kara's which still rested on her cheek. "I understand. I don't want her to experience the same pain I felt. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."  
Kara nodded. 

She carefully removed her hand from under Lena's and instead took both of her hands to pull her to her feet and guide her to the middle of the room.   
She stroked the backs of her hands with her thumbs and bit her lip.  
"Before I go... I just want to make sure that you know that...", she wanted to say 'your Kara', but she decided against it. Lena needed to hear it directly. And she was certain that the Kara from this earth had the same feelings for her which she did for her Lena. "I love you. So much. I love you so much that I can hardly breathe sometimes. I will never stop loving you. And I will never truly leave you. I'll always be with you. Right here."  
Kara placed her hand on top of Lena's chest, right over her heart.   
She felt the kryptonite pulsing under her hand and almost felt sick. 

She also knew this was a very cliché thing to say but it seemed to take it's effect. Lena's lip trembled again and she nodded as tears rose to her eyes.   
Kara's thoughts were racing. She didn't know if what she was planning was okay or not, if it would help or not. She didn't even know if this would be considered cheating. But she wanted to do her best to make this Lena feel better.   
So, she cupped her cheeks and closed the space between them to kiss her.

Lena gasped against her lips but soon enough melted into the kiss, slinging her arms around her neck and pressing herself against her, seeking to be as close as possible to her. The way she clung onto her was desperate and longing, showing all the pain she had endured in those two years.  
When they pulled away, Kara left her hands placed on her cheeks for a while longer, resting her forehead against Lena's.   
"I love you.", Lena whispered, voice quivering with repressed sobs. 

Kara raised her head to kiss her on the forehead. "Always remember what I told you. You're good. You're loved. You're not alone."  
"She's right. You're not alone.", Sam said, suddenly standing next to them, as well as Alex and Kelly.   
Kara looked at them wide eyed, then a small smile spread across her lips. She glanced at Lena, then let go of her and stepped backwards.

Alex took Lena's hand into her's while placing another arm around Kelly's waist. Sam, close behind them, linked her arm with Lena's.   
Lena watched them, slightly startled and once more teary-eyed.   
In the back, the guys looked at each other before nodding and stepping forward. Winn and Mon-El each placed a hand on Lena's shoulder, while J'onn stood behind them and Brainy took his place on Lena's other side, linking his arm into her's.

Everyone looked over at Linda and Nia, expectantly.  
The two had gone through a lot of pain, Linda especially, because of Lena. Had been seperated from each other.   
But they also knew that it wasn't her fault exactly. That she had been driven mad with grief, fear and pain. That she hadn't been able to think after the torture she went through, that she hadn't been able to cope any other way than to turn any kind of emotion and humanity inside her off. That was no excuse for the bad things she had done, as Kara had established as well.  
But there was a definite chance of redemption. Because Lena was willing and hoping to become the person again who she once was. 

And if she was honest with herself, Linda wouldn't be able to help the tiny bit of attraction to her which she would probably feel forever since she had inherited that from Kara. It wasn't romantic love anymore but it was a connection - a connection which didn't make it possible for her to truly shut her out. A connection which let her see the real Lena, the one she was beneath it all.  
Linda sighed, looked over at Nia for confirmation and when she nodded, they walked over as well. The blonde took Lena's free hand, while wrapping her other arm around Nia, like Alex did with Kelly.

Kara's heart fluttered happily as she watched the scene. She felt much less guilt over leaving now. Knowing that Lena had a support system which would help her through. That all of them had support, should they need it.  
She nodded fiercely. Then she took out the tiny remote and pressed the button. Sure enough, a portal opened. Kara swallowed.  
"Well, here goes nothing.", she mumbled. She walked closer and finally emerged into the portal, turning around to wave.   
Her heart sank when she saw Lena break down, sobbing and falling to her knees as she watched her leave. But hope flared up in her as everyone else crouched down and embraced her, forming a big group hug. And when she was swallowed by the darkness, a smile rested on Kara's lips. This earth would be okay. Her friends and family of this earth would be okay. She just knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it! ^-^


	56. Chapter 70B

Kara woke up with a start, instantly bumping her head against something. Which turned out to be her twin sister's forehead.  
"Ouch.", she heard Linda's voice. She didn't actually sound hurt though, it seemed to have been more of a reflex to say that.  
Kara couldn't bring herself to respond anything though, instead she hastily looked around for a few seconds. She rapidly blinked, trying to make sure what she was seeing was real.  
Everything looked normal, thank Rao. The sun shone brightly and warmly down on them. All the buildings and roads were intact. Everything was Alright.  
But then she frowned.  
"Wait, we're still here? I've been gone for a week!"

Linda and Nia frowned.  
"What? No. You were unconscious for like a minute or two.", Nia said. "What do you mean, you "were gone"?"  
"I... I fell into that wormhole.", Kara replied, confused.  
"Yeah. But you came right back out on the other side."  
Kara stared at them. Okay. So time passed differently when you fell into a wormhole created by some rare alien species which she couldn't remember the name of. Useful information for next time.  
"You know what? Forget it.", Kara responded with a hand movement. She got up on her feet. Then her heart sank. "I gotta get to Lena."

"Uh, okay.", they both said simultaneously.  
Kara nodded and already turned around to fly off when she hesitated. She turned back and pulled Linda into a tight hug.  
"I love you so much, Lin.", she whispered.  
Linda seemed a little startled and just awkwardly placed her arms around her.  
"I love you too.", she said quietly.  
Kara realised that the alternate timeline of that other earth had cut her deeper than she originally thought. Seeing her twin that way had shocked her to the core.  
But what weighed the most on her was the fate of that world's Lena.  
Lena.

Kara pulled away. "Hey, when you two get home, give Mikhail a hug from his Auntie Kara, alright?"  
Linda and Nia nodded simply, still a little confused by Kara's sudden sentimentality.  
Kara smiled at her twin and then finally took off to get to L-Corp.  
She levitated through the open balcony door, landing softly behind the brunette. Kara felt tears burning in her eyes as she watched her. So calm, so peaceful - no worries, no fears, no pains.  
Most importantly: A normal human heart beating inside of her chest.

She walked forward, halting next to her desk and took Lena's hands to pull her to her feet.  
Lena barely had time to register what was going on when Kara had already embraced her, holding her tight.  
Lena chuckled. "Well, hello to you too, darling."

Kara didn't have it in her to respond. All that came out was a sob which she couldn't hold back anymore. She had stayed strong that entire week she had been stuck on that other earth. She had stayed strong for the alternate versions of her friends, of her family... of Lena.  
But now everything came crushing in on her and she could hardly breathe.

Lena's smile was wiped of her face. She pulled away to look at Kara. "Kara, are you-", she interrupted herself when she saw the tears spilling from the blonde's eyes and the pain-ridden expression on her face. She cupped her cheeks. "Oh my god, Kara. Sweetie, what's wrong?"  
Kara placed her own hands above Lena's, desperately ringing for air as sobs shook her body.  
Lena shushed her softly and pulled out her hands to instead wrap one arm around her shoulders as she led her to the couch and sat her down.  
There she took her hands into her's again.

"Hey, calm down. It's okay.", she whispered, rubbing the backs of her hands with her thumbs. "What is it?"  
Kara took a few deep trembling breaths. "There... there was this alien who can create wormholes and... and I fell into one and...", Kara stammered between her tears. "And I ended up in this dark version of National City. I... I was dead there and... and oh Rao, it was horrible. They were all so... so sad and... and Lin... she... and you!"  
Lena moved one of her hands to Kara's cheek to wipe away some of her tears, attentively listening - or at least trying to figure out what her stutters meant.

Kara gulped, letting out a quiet whimper. "You were so broken. I... It hurt so much to see you like that, Lena. And your mother and Lex, they used the oppprtunity of your weakness to... to do these terrible things to you. They... they turned you into Metallo. It was horrible. It was so horrible."  
Kara broke out into sobs again and Lena pulled her close, rubbing comforting circles over her back. She didn't know what to say in response to that. But she didn't need to. Being close to her was the only thing Kara needed. 

Almost half an hour later, Kara had finally calmed down. But she still laid cuddled into Lena's warm embrace. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be close to Lena without feeling a burning aching inside of her whole body.  
After a while, she quietly admitted: "There's something else."  
She sat up, looked down at her lap and bit her lip. "I... I was so overwhelmed with the situation and I didn't know what to do. I just wanted to comfort you- I mean, the other Lena, somehow. And I- I ended up... kissing her."

"Oh.", Lena just said.  
"Are you mad?", Kara asked quietly.  
Lena gently touched her shoulders to move her in a way that she could look at her.  
"No. You just wanted to help. It's just the way you are, you have a good heart and the need to help people in times of despair. That's what I love about you.", she said softly. "Besides, I don't think it necessarily qualifies as cheating if it's an alternate version of myself."  
Kara breathed deeply and nodded slightly. She closed her eyes when Lena leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead.  
"I love you.", Kara whispered.  
"And I love you.", Lena replied quietly with a smile. "Do you want to stay here for a while?"  
Kara nodded. She let her Supergirl suit dematerialise. Then she took one of the chairs and placed it next to Lena's desk chair, simply sitting down and resting her chin on her arms which she had crossed on the table.  
She watched the brunette while she read through documents, signed papers and typed into her laptop.  
Lena looked over every now and then to cast her a little smile and do little things like booping her nose or giving her hand a little squeeze.  
Nothing could calm Kara more than seeing Lena - her Lena - content and peaceful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it ^-^


	57. Chapter 71B

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this idea too late.  
> It's the New Year's Eve Chapter, fitting well with the Christmas one in 65.   
> So chronologically this would've probably taken place after that one.  
> Not that it matters too much but I just thought I'd say it ^-^

"Come on, guys, it's not that long anymore! We gotta get this ready!", Kara exclaimed. "Tik tok!"  
Lena chuckled as she shook her head. She laid a hand down on Kara's shoulder and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. "James was right. You really are turning into Cat Grant."  
Kara feigned a gasp. "I'm not!"  
Lena laughed and patted her shoulder before walking ahead to help finishing the preparations.  
The Superfriends wanted to spend New Year's Eve together.

Mikhail kneeled on a chair, sneakily eating some of the snacks on the table every now and then.   
He giggled loudly when Linda wrapped her arms around him from behind and whispered "Busted.", just as he went to sneak another one from one of the bowls.  
Linda smirked and pressed a kiss on his cheek before releasing him again.

Then suddenly a loud bang outside let her flinch terribly, though she knew that it was just someone who decided it would be fun to start fireworks before midnight, and thus the new year, actually arrived. Her sensitive kryptonian ears however were still not happy about the sudden noise. And according to Kara's reaction, on the other side of the room, she wasn't alone on that. 

Her startlement evaporated the second she noticed that Mikhail froze up with wide, shocked eyes and began breathing far faster than normal.   
Similar to the day of the explosion of the small hotel. The days of terror in Kasnia with gun shots and bombs were still residing in the back of his head and causing the panic to resurface.   
Within a short second, she was by his side, pulling him into her arms. It didn't take long until Nia had made her way over as well.

Linda gently stroked through his hair, being reminded of the year before, when she had too freaked out about the sounds of fireworks.  
She had gotten the needed comfort, first from her sister and Nia, then from the rest of the Superfriends as well. And now she'd be the one, with Nia of course, to give comfort to Mikhail.

_For a moment, Linda was astonished by the beautiful colorful sparks erupting after the explosion of the firework._   
_Then however more and more exploded in the sky, at the same time, creating such loud noise that her eardrums felt like they would rupture any second._   
_Her hands automatically shot to her ears, trying to cover them, as tiny whimpers escaped her mouth._   
_Even though Nia stood closest to her, right next to her, she couldn't hear those whimpers over the noise of the fireworks._

_Linda pressed her eyes shut and her hands tighter onto her ears but it had no use. In a state of helplessness, she supersped back into the building._   
_Nia felt the gush of wind and turned around with a frown._   
_"Lin? Lin!", she said. She looked at the others, trying to gain their attention by yelling over the sound of the fireworks. "Guys! Guys! Where's Lin?"_

_Kara looked around. "I'll look.", she said loudly, then rushed into the building. Scanning the area, she quickly found her sister cowering in a corner of their living room. Her legs were pulled close to her chest and her face buried in her knees while her hands covered her ears. Everytime a firework exploded outside, she flinched - which was almost every second._

_Kara stormed forward, kneeling down in front of her and gently touching her shoulders, feeling her tremble under her hands. The other blonde looked up with wide, scared eyes and a pain-ridden grimace._   
_Kara sighed, empathy clear in her face. "I'm sorry, Lin, I didn't think about the fact that the fireworks would scare and hurt you. Especially after living in a military base. I've gotten used to the annual noise after more than a decade but you haven't gotten the chance to yet, obviously."_

_"We had those in Kasnia too but- but it wasn't that- that bad.", Linda wailed._   
_"The closest people to use fireworks were probably too far away from you to create too much damage.", Kara said slowly, gently stroking over her sister's cheek, hoping to comfort her somehow. "Plus, they like to go overboard here a lot."_   
_A few other immensly loud fireworks went off outside, causing Kara to flinch a little and Linda to start whimpering again._

_Kara watched her sadly._   
_"Hey, come on.", she said softly, scooting around to sit down next to her. She pulled Linda closer, letting her rest her head in the crook of her neck and wrapping her into a tight embrace. "I'm here."_

_"Lin?", Nia's voice exclaimed from the other room all of the sudden._   
_Kara looked up. "Over here.", she announced._   
_Seconds later, Nia came in and, upon seeing the two, stormed over._   
_"Hey.", she said softly, brushing through Linda's hair. "You okay?"_   
_Linda shrugged slightly but the still apparent tremble in her body told more than words._   
_Nia just nodded and sat down on Linda's other side, taking her hand and stroking over the back of it with her thumb. Linda skittered around a little, so she was still lying her sister's arm but could also look at Nia._

_A few minutes later, they were surprised to see the rest of the Superfriends come in as well._   
_While everyone instantly walked over to them upon seeing them and sat down in a wide circle around them, Lena had gone the opposite way, disappearing into the kitchen._   
_At last she joined them too. She scooted closer and smiled as she held out a small package._   
_"We always keep some for emergencies.", Lena said softly._   
_The corner of Linda's lip twitched upwards as she reached out with her free hand and took the little package. Oreos - Linda's biggest comfort food._   
_They ended up staying inside instead. Where it was still rather loud but at least gave Linda some sort of security, especially being surrounded by her family and friends._

Some of the others had collected around as well, looking rather worried.   
Most of them thinking the same thing: If one firework's body was enough to trigger Mikhail's panic, then what would happen in about an hour when the entire city would explode with fireworks?  
Linda had at least been able to keep her calm as long as possible the year before - until it got too loud to handle.

At one point Alex seemed to get an idea though. She pulled Kara aside, quickly sharing her thoughts. The blonde nodded and rushed away.   
Just a few minutes later, she returned with what appeared to be headphones.   
"They protect from too much noise. Mostly used for agents who work with... specific weapons. But they'll do fine in this situation too.", Alex explained as she handed them over to the boy with a soft smile.   
Mikhail returned the gesture and took them. Linda smiled as well, mouthing a Thank you at the oldest Danvers sister. Alex simply made a hand gesture, as if to say not to worry about it. 

So, some hours later, when it was finally time to gather outside, Mikhail, and his ears, were well protected. Of course those didn't help kryptonians but Linda was just glad that Mikhail would get to enjoy the night without any problems.   
He sat on her back, head resting on her hairline as he watched the sky, exploding with colors.   
Nia stood next to them, arm linked into Linda's, looking up at the boy with a grin every now and then.   
The blonde's eyes met her's and she smiled softly and mouthing a simple I love you. She got a kiss in response.   
No one knew what the following year could bring but they knew as long as they were together, it would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it!


	58. Chapter 72B

The Superfriends were spending an evening of game night together once more. However what they didn't know was what Kara had been planning for a long time now. That this game night would be very special.  
Though she had taken a few precautions - for example she had invited Sam and Ruby, as well as Eliza.   
Of course the others had been a little surprised by that but they hadn't really questioned it either. And Lena had even admitted that she had wanted to invite Sam over for quite a while as well.   
So that wasn't an issue. 

And Mikhail seemed to enjoy having someone around his age there and he and Ruby actually got along very quickly.   
Which was another bonus.  
As a matter of fact, Eliza was the only one in the room who knew what would happen any moment now. Because Kara had known she needed to tell someone - someone who would be able to help out a little, someone to calm down her nerves, someone to encourage her.  
Because while she fought thiefs, criminals and villains on the daily, this was by far scarier than anything she ever had to do.

But yet she wanted it more than anything else in her life. It was about time.  
So at some point during the evening, she finally started to emotionally prepare herself for what was about to come.  
And who could be better for that job than her mother? Well, adoptive mother but still.

Kara fumbled with her hands. Then she took a deep breath and moved around on the floor until she sat opposite Lena. "I- I have something to say."  
"What is it, darling?", Lena asked, looking rather surprised at the nervousness of the blonde.   
Which only seemed to grow as all eyes slowly started turning to them.

Kara took another deep breath and got up on one knee. Though she had prepared a whole speech, she seemed to completely forget all the words. She would just have to wing it somehow. So she simply rambled on, speaking all and everything that came to her mind - and also her heart.

"Lee, I love you. From the moment I met you, I... I knew I had to know you. I always felt... connected to you. That's why I always knew that I had to believe you and trust you because... because I just knew it's right. You quickly became my closest friend and then I... well, I fell in love with you and- And that sure wasn't easy, I mean a Luthor and a Super, but... we made it work. And I'm a hundred percent sure, that we will make it in the future too, so... I... I want to make it official, Lena."

Kara grabbed into her pocket to pull out a small black box. She held it up with one hand, opening the lid with the other, revealing a shiny ring inside.  
"Lena, you are my love, my strength... my sunshine. So... would you do me the honor and become... my wife too?", Kara smiled brightly, feeling her cheeks burning up.  
The Superfriends let out a simultaneous round of gasps. They already got ready to cheer, watching the brunette and waiting for her response in anticipation. They were all so sure that it would be a definite yes. But it wasn't coming. 

Lena just stared at Kara for a moment. Quite a long moment. So long that the others started exchanging worried looks. Was she just frozen in shock? Happiness?  
Suddenly she said under her breath: "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."  
Kara furrowed her eyebrows. That was the last thing she thought she'd hear right now. "Um. What?"  
The entire room had gone quiet. All eyes were going back and forth between the Luthor and the Super. Some of them even let their jaws drop to show their confusion about the current situation.  
Mikhail and Ruby shot side glances to their respective moms to see whether they had a clue what was going on but all they got in response was a helpless shrug.

And as if they hadn't been confused enough, the completely unexpected happened next. A reaction which no one would have seen coming from Lena.   
She started laughing.

Kara shifted a little uncomfortably. She sat back down onto both knees, her hands holding the little box were slowly sinking down into her lap.   
Lena raised a hand, to tell her to hold on for a moment. She struggled to get to her feet, still laughing uncontrollably as she tumbled towards her coat which hung next to the door. 

Everyone watched her every step.   
"This is the most nervewrecking proposal I've ever witnessed.", Alex whispered.  
"How many proposal have you seen?", Kelly asked with raised eyebrows.   
Alex opened and closed her mouth a few times, as she had to admit that there hadn't been a lot of those. None to be honest. Though she had of course propose herself before but that didn't really count as one she had "witnessed".  
"That's irrelevant.", she finally said.

Lena grabbed into her coat pocket and as she walked back to the others, she wiped her eyes, brushing away tears of laughter.   
At last, she showed what she was holding. A little black box, very similar to the one Kara had been holding up moments before and which, upon opening it, revealed a ring.  
Lena shook her head with a grin. "Way to take away my moment. I wanted to be the one to propose, you goof."

Kara's jaw had dropped. As did the ones of everyone else.   
No one had seen this change of events coming.  
Kara was still blinking rapidly, quote unbelieving of what was going on. Especially considering that there had been a lot of emotions rushing through her during the last seconds.  
Suddenly though the blonde jumped to her feet, running over with superspeed and wrapping her arms around Lena's torso - so enthusiastically that she lifted her up a few inches and swirled her around a few times. Lena chuckled, holding onto her and placing her own arms around Kara's neck. 

When Kara finally let her down again, she cupped Lena's cheeks, as best as she could considering she was still holding the little box in one hand, and kissed her passionately.   
Now the others started to snap out of the shock as well and began grinning, cheering and clapping for the two.

"So I guess this is a yes?", Lena chuckled, arms still around Kara's neck.  
"Only if it's a yes from you too.", Kara responded teasingly.   
"Hmm...", Lena made. "Hard deal. I may have to think about that. Can my assistant get back to you by thursday?"  
Kara laughed, shaking her head. "You know, for someone who calls me dork all the time, you're pretty goofy yourself right now."  
Lena simply shrugged with a bright grin. Then she shook her own head and moved her head closer. "Of course it's a yes, darling, I'd be stupid to refuse.", she whispered against Kara's lips.

"Can you believe we're supposed to be the kids around here?", Ruby mumbled.  
Mikhail giggled and shrugged. "Aunt Kara and Aunt Lena really like to be childish with each other. That makes them pretty good babysitters though."  
Ruby nodded knowingly. "Ice cream for dinner, am I right?"  
"Yep.", he said, popping the "p". "Did they do it for you too?"  
"Kara did. She wasn't together with Lena at the time though. But I can imagine, she won't stay strong too long either."  
"From experience, no she doesn't."  
The two chuckled before returning their attention to the couple who was currently getting a lot of congratulatory hugs from their family and friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is actually gonna be the last


	59. Chapter 73B / Ending

Mikhail released a long heavy sigh - to demonstrate his obvious boredom.   
Linda and Nia simultaneously closed their eyes. This was probably the fourth time in a row now that he did it.  
"How much longer do you think it's gonna take, mama?", he asked.  
"I don't know. Just like I didn't know five minutes ago.", Linda responded.   
"Mom-"  
"I don't know either, buddy.", Nia said before he could even give the question.  
He gave another theatratical sigh. 

A few seats further, Kelly and Alex chuckled.   
"You think our little man is gonna be the same when he becomes a teenager?", Alex whispered with a grin, gently stroking her finger along the tiny hand of the baby inside of Kelly's arm.  
They had gotten the opportunity to adopt the little boy roughly half a year ago, just a few months after getting married. And of course they had agreed. The Danvers twins had been ecstatic to know that now every single one of them would be not only in a loving marriage, but be a mom as well. 

"It's very possible.", Kelly replied quietly, giggling lightly. "Puberty mood swings you know."  
Linda, who had heard the statement thanks to her superhearing, threw them a look which clearly said 'You don't know the half of it.'

"I hate hospitals. And I hate waiting.", Mikhail said. "How long have we been here now?"  
"About four hours.", Linda said, after checking her wristwatch.   
Mikhail groaned, letting his head fall against the wall.  
"Don't you have anything to do to keep you occupied?", Nia asked, slightly amused by his dramatic behavior.  
"I already did pretty much everything. I've listened through my entire playlist. Twice. I've played through so many levels of my phone games that I lost count. I scrolled through social media so much that I'm only seeing repitions of the same memes."

Nia chuckled, shaking her head.  
"What else could I possible do?", Mikhail whined.  
"I don't know. Text your girlfriend, how about that?", the brunette replied.  
"Ruby's at practice.", Mikhail sighed. "And she will be for another hour. By then, I'll have died of boredom."  
Linda patted his shoulder. "Just consider how Lena and Kara are feeling currently, alright? Lena's most likely in a lot of pain right now. We need to be supportive."

Mikhail looked at her and seemed to think her words through. Then he finally hung his head. "I know. Sorry."  
Linda smiled softly, ruffling his hair. She slung her arm around his shoulder, pulling him close. 

Two more hours passed until a nurse approached them at last.  
"Mrs Danvers?", she asked with a smile.  
"Yes?", all four women simultaneously replied, causing the nurse to blink a few times. She had obviously not expected that.   
"Sisters.", Alex said, motioning to herself and Linda before adding: "Our wives.", while pointing to Kelly and Nia.   
"Ah.", the nurse made curtly. Apparently still overwhelmed by the fact that all three sisters were married to another woman. "Well, then, um, follow me."

The five stood up abruptly and followed at the nurse's heels.   
"How's she doing?", Alex asked, playing with her baby boy's tiny fingers, as she had taken over for Kelly some time ago.   
"She's doing great. Exhausted of course but there were no complications. So everyone's well.", the nurse said kindly.  
They all nodded in relief at the good news.

In front of a door, she finally halted and smiled again. "Here we are."  
They thanked her and she went her way.  
Linda grinned at Mikhail, gently nudging his side.  
"Ready to meet your new niece?", she asked him and he nodded hastily.  
Linda chuckled, placing her hands on his shoulders as she led him inside after Alex and Kelly.

"Hey, you guys.", Kara said softly. She was beaming brightly.  
She sat on the edge of the bed, closely snuggled up to Lena who did appear very tired but she had also a big smile on her lips.   
In her arms lay a tiny bundle of a pink blanket. The only part looking out was two small arms.

One by one they sneaked closer to take a look at the newest addition to the family. And none of them were able to leave without another bright smile.  
They all got some chairs and collectively sat down around the bed to talk - as quiet as possible, considering both the babies were asleep.

"So what's her name?", Alex asked, more than just curiously, after a while.  
They had been keeping it secret the entire last months, only wanting to reveal it after she was born.  
Kara smiled down at the baby in Lena's arms. "Her name's Nadya."  
"Nadya... That's... that's russian.", Linda said slowly, blinking a few times. "It stands for... hope."  
"Yeah.", Kara smiled. "We didn't just want to name her Hope, that would've been too obvious. So... we thought, we could use the opportunity to... you know, honor you."  
The corners of Linda's lips twitched upwards and her cheeks seemed to heat up a little. She was at a loss for words.

Next to her, Mikhail couldn't really seem to take his eyes off of the new Danvers girl.  
Lena was the first to notice and smiled.  
"Do you want to hold her?", she asked softly.   
Mikhail appeared to be a little nervous but he nodded hesitantly. Kara returned the gesture with a grin and gently lifted the little bundle out of her wife's arms to carefully place her in Mikhail's instead. 

The teen seemed a little stiff and helpless at first but he had eased into it soon enough.  
"Nice, we have a babysitter set already.", Kara chuckled lightly, making the others laugh too.   
Mikhail rolled his eyes but the smile on his lips confirmed that he wouldn't actually mind it that much.   
"These kids are some of the luckiest children on earth. Three real superheroes as moms and aunts.", Kelly giggled, softly moving her hand over the little boy's head who was resting in Alex's arms.   
"And the other three moms and aunts are badasses as well.", Alex grinned. 

Kara threw her arms up. "The biggest, most badass and, most importantly, the gayest family in all of National City.", she exclaimed.   
"We could be even bigger. If mama and mom got a baby too.", Mikhail stated matter-of-factly, not even looking up from the face of his niece.  
While the other four women snorted with surpressed laughter, Linda and Nia turned brightly pink around the cheeks.   
"Mikhail...", Linda mumbled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. 

"Just saying.", he smirked.  
"Well, he's not wrong.", Kara grinned.   
Linda and Nia simultaneously turned their heads to look at each other for a moment. Then they both smiled lightly and shrugged.  
"Maybe we will.", they said with a chuckle.  
"For the sake of our status as biggest, gayest family.", Nia said jokingly.  
"Don't forget the badass part!", Alex exclaimed.  
" 'Course not.", Nia chuckled. 

Linda watched the interaction with a certain feeling of calmness and peace - pure happiness.  
To think that roughly five to six years ago, she had been a soldier without a mind of her own, a slave to Lex's bidding. An almost childlike nature to her, due to her lack of life experience. Without a past, without a family, without any hope for a brighter future.  
And now she was a superhero, a sister, a wife, a mother.  
Laughing and joking along with her dearest people, her family. Meeting her niece, perhaps just having actually settled a plan for a biological child. 

If only she could meet her past self and tell her to just hold on a little while longer. Not to worry. Because a brighter future did lie ahead. Because she would know love, family, happiness.   
She had taken a long journey, with many ups and downs, many fallbacks and issues. And her journey wasn't ending.   
She would have many more wonderful moments to see and experience. No matter if there would be more downs. As long as she had her family by her side, she knew she'd be alright.   
Because what did her twin always like to say?  
El mayarah. Stronger together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo.... this is it. I hope you've enjoyed this fanfic :,)
> 
> I'll take a break for a few days and then try to update the version A! It'll be mostly just the slightly alternated chapters of this one but I'll try to think of a way to still make it somewhat interesting ^-^


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